The Lancaster County Convention Center Authority, which has been anticipating a shortfall of at least $400,000, received relief in the form of a $500,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, it was announced at their board meeting, Thursday night.

The funding is part of the $1.5 million in “contingency funds” for which State Senator Gib Armstrong earmarked the project.

Chairman of the Board Art Morris said that the Authority had been notified “within the last two to three weeks” that it would be receiving part of the funding that they have been asking for since May.

Morris said that the funding will be used to pay expenses related to “concrete,” since the board can easily identify one or two concrete contracts totaling that large an amount so as to minimize the paperwork and administrative costs involved.

He went on to say that the board expects to be notified “in a month or so” as to when the remaining $1 million will be awarded.

Also at their Thursday night board meeting, the LCCCA approved a contract with Desso, USA for carpeting in the Convention Center. The board voted to approve a 50% deposit of $235,931.11 on the total cost.

The board also voted to retain the law firm of Stevens & Lee for an additional six months, ending February 28, 2009.

Kevin Fry noted that Stevens & Lee has been controversial – something Executive Director Kevin Molloy said he “[has] been briefed” about. Morris noted that the board has reached out to Stevens & Lee “a couple of times” over the previous six months.

The board also approved a lengthy list of project change orders, Thursday, including one for a grease trap in the kitchen facility. An observer noted publicly that, according to the governing documents, the Authority is 100% responsible for change orders related to the kitchen even though the facility will be used by both the hotel and Convention Center – and quite likely more frequently by the hotel since it will be in operation on a more regular basis.

Finally, Morris noted that he had been in contact with a reporter from the Philadelphia Inquirer who is writing a story on the history of Lancaster’s Convention Center project and that her article may appear this weekend or in Tuesday’s edition.

Morris noted that he did not wish to resurrect past controversies and was somewhat conservative in what he told the reporter.