New Hope will pay consultant to obtain grants

Helped get $330,000 for 150-space parking lot adjacent to the Union Square complex.

By: Cynthia Williamson
   NEW HOPE — A consultant who helped the borough obtain a federal grant to build parking will be paid a monthly stipend to search for other grants.
   The Borough Council decided at its August meeting to pay a monthly $500 fee to Rob Loughery, president of Keystone Heritage Group, Doylestown, Pa., to seek other economic development grants.
   Mr. Loughery has been working with the borough’s Revitalization Committee for more than a year, helping the panel of merchants, residents and borough representatives develop a list of initiatives aimed at revitalizing the town and securing its economic vitality.
   He was instrumental in helping New Hope obtain a $330,000 federal Housing and Urban Development grant that will be used to build a 150-space parking lot on a 2-acre parcel the borough owns adjacent to the Union Square complex.
   "We have gone through some incredible changes in the borough and we’ve developed incredible relationships with various groups, and all this has been coordinated through Rob Loughery," said council Vice President Sharyn Keiser, who also chairs the Revitalization Committee.
   Councilman Bert Johnson opposed the measure, saying the consultant’s fee should be "packaged with the grant." And while he said Mr. Loughery is "extremely qualified," he felt the council should advertise for a grants consultant to determine if there is anyone "more qualified."
   He also suggested Borough Manager John Tegley could apply for grants "coming our way."
   But Ms. Keiser said the borough would be "very foolish to give up Mr. Loughery’s services."
   "By the end of the year, the borough could receive between $450,000 and $600,000 in grants and Mr. Loughery has a lot to do with that," she said, noting he is helping the committee apply for a grant to renovate the borough visitor’s center. "The grant money we could receive would more than make up for his fee."
   Council President Richard Hirschfield said grants are awarded to "organizations who know how to play the game," and Mr. Loughery "has all those things."
   Mr. Johnson agreed with the measure after Mr. Hirschfield amended his motion to give Mr. Loughery a "month-to-month" contract with the borough.