Northampton County Council will consider a proposal at their July 16^th meeting to allocate $200,000 in CARES Act funds for a proactive testing program for COVID-19 at the Northampton County Prison (NCP). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended universal testing for jails and prisons on July 7, 2020.

“The Northampton County Prison has done a phenomenal job of preventing an outbreak at our facility through the use of quarantines, mask wearing and other hygienic practices,” says Lamont McClure. “Universal testing will give us another tool to help prevent transmission of the virus and keep our inmates and staff safe.”

If Council approves the funding, the NCP Administration will coordinate with Prime Care Medical to develop a plan to test inmates and staff within a few weeks. Act 24, which was signed by Governor Wolf, provides $625 million in CARES Act money to Pennsylvania counties. Northampton County has received $27.5 million in funds.

Since the beginning of the outbreak, eight inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. All eight have finished their quarantine periods.

Seven NCP employees have tested positive for the virus since March. All seven have finished their quarantine periods and returned to work.

To protect the health of inmates and employees, volunteers, visitors and tours were banned from the prison on March 10^th. Inmates may still contact their loved ones via phone, tablets or mail.

There are currently 551 inmates in residence at NCP. Forty non-violent inmates have been granted extended furloughs.

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Lamont McClure and the Northampton County Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) announce the opening of the application process for $4 million COVID-19 Small Business Assistance grants. The press conference will be held at 10:00AM on Thursday, July 16, 2020 on Zoom. County Executive Lamont McClure, Director of DCED Tina Smith and Tony Iannelli and Jessica O’Donnell from the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce will speak.

To qualify for a grant, a business must be located in Northampton County and have fewer than 100 employees. The grants can be used for rent, payroll and other operating expenses. Priority will be given to small retail shops, restaurants and community staples operating on a main street or in a traditional neighborhood and minority-owned businesses. The maximum grant amount is $15,000 per business.

Northampton County Council approved the distribution of $4 million in CARES Act funds to small business owners at their July 2, 2020 meeting. Applications will be reviewed by a committee that includes three members of County Council.

The application form can be found on the DCED webpage: https://www.northamptoncounty.org/CMTYECDV/Pages/Apply-for-Funding.aspx

Lamont McClure and the Northampton County Department of Public Works announce that the newly constructed parking lot at the intersection of Wolf Avenue and Washington Street near the Government Center is now open.

A building at the site, which previously held the Elections office, was demolished in August 2019. It had been hit by lightning and was in poor repair. Construction on the lot began in November which included excavating the area, rebuilding it with crushed stone and the installation of an underground storm-water retention system and a retaining wall. Lights and landscaping were added this spring and paving finished this month. Two charging stations, capable of charging four electric vehicles at a time, will be installed soon.

The lot has 104 spaces, a gain of fifty from the previous site. Seven ADA accessible spaces will give the public easier access to the Courthouse entrance.

The County of Northampton financed the $1 million dollar project. The charging stations were paid for with a grant from Driving PA Forward, an initiative of Governor Wolf’s Administration to increase air quality in Pennsylvania.

Northampton County thanks Bean Inc. Construction and Wind Gap Electric for all their work on this project.

Future projects in the area will include an improved Pedestrian Crossing Zone across Washington Street.