At last week’s City Council Meeting, Mayor Rick Gray listed the City’s planned uses of Federal stimulus money. But one item on the roster was a bit ambiguous: The City and County were said to collectively receive a total of $2 million in “homeless prevention funds,” which would be used “for services to prevent homelessness.”

NewsLanc seeks one or more individual to earn $25 each event by passing out newsletters at Clipper Stadium for an hour and a half prior to some of the Barnstormer’s home games.

We learned last week that the upgrading to the Amtrak train station, budgeted at $12 million, will only cost $8.4 million largely due to the lack of construction work in this recession. We also were made aware that the expansion program for the Moores Memorial Library in Christiana has received $250,000 in Urban enhancement Grant money from the County Commissioners.

A contributor inquires of NewsLanc:

“The addition of 105 cameras to the 60 we already have will ‘make Lancaster the most-watched city of its size in the nation.’ What do you think of this?”

A NewsLanc reporter traveled this week to Hungary and Croatia on his daytime job and found many similarities…

On Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Rick Gray reported on the City’s planned uses of Federal Economic Stimulus money. The choice of allocations indicates a focus upon reducing the effects of the drooping economy and softening the blow for those already affected.

At last night’s City Council Meeting, Mayor Rick Gray announced a collection of new traffic patterns near the intersection of N Mulberry St and Harrisburg Pike, including a new traffic light and two-way driving on the block of N Mulberry bounded by Harrisburg Pike and W James St.

Beginning next week, Gray announced, measures will be taken to notify motorists of the upcoming changes, including temporary stop signs and flashing lights. The new traffic signal will be activated and two-way traffic will commence on April 30.

At today’s County Commissioners Work Session, James Cowhey, Executive Director of the Lancaster County Planning Commission (LCPC), met with the Board of Commissioners to request approval of the Draft 2009 Lancaster County Urban Enhancement Fund Program Guidelines and Application. The Commissioners, however, did not provide any conclusive action during today’s meeting.

In today’s paper, it was reported that the project “was approved to receive $4 million by the Lancaster County Transportation Coordinating Committee.” I just spoke with the reporter, Bernard Harris, and he is going to write a clarification that the committee meeting yesterday was merely an advisory recommendation and the actual approval of funding will not occur until the Lancaster County Transportation Coordinating Committee meets on April 27 at 12:30.

School District of Lancaster (SDL) Superintendant Pedro Rivera and Athletic Director Jon Mitchell find themselves in extremely challenging jobs, mandating that they develop knowledge and leadership skills for which their past responsibilities have not adequately prepared them. But such are the beginnings of most great leaders, and we must both be helpful and patient…to a point.

In a recent Sunday News sports article, “What’s next for Tornado?”, newly appointed School District of Lancaster (SDL) Athletic Director Jon Mitchell is quoted as saying: “It’s hard to argue with the numbers. We aren’t doing much winning, and I think part of it is systemic.

“Part of it is a defeatist attitude among the kids and even some adults. But the upside is tremendous here. I wouldn’t have taken the job if I didn’t think it could be turned around.”

At today’s LCCCA Facilities Programming Committee meeting, Tim Sullivan from Reynolds Construction (the project construction manager) announced that at the current pace of construction, they will miss the projected opening date of the week of May 11th by about a week. Mr. Sullivan stated that contractors were working overtime in an attempt to make up for lost time.

I have walked the streets of Lancaster every morning for many years. Some may recognize me. The other day, a Saturday, I stopped by a local fast food restaurant. Used to seeing the “usual cast” of homeless, I was struck by a most unsettling sight. There was a new feature upon the human landscape.