For the fifth year in a row, the Lancaster County commissioners on Wednesday voted to dole out money under the county's urban enhancement grant program.

All totaled, 17 projects aimed at improving the county's developed areas received a combined $1.5 million.

Given the tight financial straits the commissioners are steering the county through, they admitted this year's grant program might be the last — for a while, anyway.

"I think it is important to make an investment in our local communities," Commissioner Dennis Stuckey said. "For this year, I am happy to support this. I can only say that on a forward basis it's getting tougher and tougher as we sit here and put our budgets together.

"I can't make a lot of promises for the future."

The urban enhancement grant program is a companion to the county's farmland preservation program.

If the county is going to protect farmland from development, the commissioners have said, then investments should be made in the county's developed areas to make them more attractive and functional to businesses and residents.

Wednesday's vote by the commissioners to award the grants was 2-1, with Chairman Scott Martin casting the lone "nay" vote.

Earlier this year, he opposed borrowing the money to fund the program and said he therefore couldn't support spending it.

"In this environment, when the county of Lancaster, for the first time, has been laying off employees, reducing services … I just fundamentally can't support having our debt service increase … as we're trying to rein in other line items in spending," Martin said.

Some of the grant recipients told the commissioners they understand the financial difficulties facing county government and promised the money doled out this year will be well spent.

"I know times are tight, but the pay-back on this is tenfold," Columbia Mayor Leo Lutz said.

Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray said history will favorably portray the decision by the commissioners to award the grants this year.

"In the fiscal times we're in, I know it's very difficult to part with money that you don't necessarily have to part with," he said. "And the things you've funded here aren't obligations by the county, but they are, I would submit, responsibilities.

"If you didn't do a lot of these things, the effect of not doing them wouldn't be realized probably during your term or my term, but five and 10 years down the road as our infrastructure in our cities and our communities decline. People would look back and say, 'Why didn't they do something when there was still time?'," Gray said.

The commissioners actually borrowed $2 million for the 2010 urban enhancement program.

They already set aside $250,000 for the Lancaster Community Safety Coalition to buy more security cameras to place around the city.

And they've promised $250,000 to Central Market Trust for renovations planned for the 120-year-old market building.

James Cowhey, executive director of the county planning commission, which administers the grant program for the commissioners, said 27 applications seeking $3.5 million in grants were submitted this year.

They were reviewed by a committee of volunteers, who ultimately selected the 17 grant recipients.

Applicants could request no more than 33 percent of the funding necessary for their projects. Grant recipients must finance the rest of the projects themselves or with money from sources other than the county.

Grant recipients, their projects and grant amounts approved by the commissioners Wednesday are as follows:

• Columbia Economic Development Co. and Columbia Borough, $200,000 toward the $12 million redevelopment of the former Ashley & Bailey Co. silk mill at North Third and Linden streets into the Turkey Hill Experience — an agritourism facility.

• Denver Borough, $19,800 to install sidewalks and wheelchair-accessible ramps on Franklin Street near South Fourth Street.

• Western Heights Water Authority and Earl Township, $50,000 for improvements to a well that provides public drinking water.

• Lancaster city, $75,000 to revitalize the northwest corner of Penn Square with new furnishings and lighting and by making other improvements.

• Heritage Center of Lancaster County and Lancaster city, $200,000 for the rehabilitation and restoration of the historic buildings of the Heritage Center Museum on Market Street.

• Housing Development Corp. and Lancaster city, $200,000 for street enhancements and infrastructure in the 100 block of South Queen Street to support neighborhood revitalization and the construction of 60 apartments.

• James Street Improvement District and Lancaster city, $50,000 to promote and administer a matching façade grant program in two target areas — a zone bounded by West King, North Prince, West Chestnut and North Mulberry streets and a zone bounded by Harrisburg Avenue, North Pine, West Frederick and North Charlotte streets.

• SACA Development Corp. and Lancaster city, $200,000 toward site acquisition, demolition and site preparation for phase one of the Conestoga River Plaza project at 902 S. Duke St., which is a proposed, mixed-use development featuring affordable housing and commercial shops.

• LancasterHistory.org and Lancaster Township, $50,000 toward creating the Campus of History at 230 N. President Ave.

• Manheim Borough, $60,000 toward milling and repaving and improving the stormwater management systems in the zero block of East Gramby Street.

• Manheim Township Historical Society and Manheim Township, $16,287 for renovating the 1750 Stoner House in Manheim Township Community Park off Fruitville Pike.

• Marietta Borough, $30,000 to install wheelchair-accessible ramps and crosswalks in the borough's business district along Market Street.

• Marietta Community House and Marietta Borough, $15,000 toward rehabilitating the community house at 264 W. Market St.

• Millersville Borough, $150,000 for infrastructure improvements on West Frederick Street from Shenks Lane to South Prince Street.

• Mount Joy Borough Authority and Mount Joy Borough, $125,000 to replace a 4-inch water main on Marietta Avenue with a 12-inch pipe.

• New Holland Borough, $16,288 to develop and maintain a regional historical museum at 201 E. Main St.

• West Lampeter Township, $42,625 for new sidewalks and signs in Lampeter Village.

preilly@lnpnews.com