By an 8 to 1 vote, Northampton County Council has approved $720,500 in table games grants. They are part of Executive John Brown’s Community Investment Partnership Program (CIPP), which he first announced in January. The plan is to use table games revenue from the Sands Casino for a variety of grants and revolving loans, with an emphasis on aging boroughs and townships. By August, there were 43 grant applications, which were rated by a committee comprised of county bureaucrats, LVPC and council member Scott Parsons. Those were whittled down to 22 projects, including four facade plans, a stormwater study for Bethlehem Township and Freemansburg, as well as a regional animal control officer in the slate belt.

Most of Council’s discussion focused on whether to vote for this individually or as a block. Lamont McClure said there were a few grants he opposed. Hayden Phillips said he opposed one. But Council, which has discussed these grants at several meetings, decided to vote them up or down as a block. McClure voted yes and Phillips ended up being the sole no, because of opposition to one project.

Municipal grants are:

• Three Easton projects totaling $110,000

• Bethlehem Township/Freemansburg; $25,000

• Forks Township; $25,000

• Hellertown Borough; $50,000

• Nazareth; $30,00

• Plainfield Township; $56,000

• Penn Argyl; $50,000

• Bethlehem; $50,000

Non-municipal grants include:

• LV Workforce investment Board; $50,000

• YWCA; $10,000

• Tott’s Gap Art Institute; $20,000

• Slate Belt Council of Governments; $10,000

• Green Knights EDC; $50,000

• Kellyn Foundation; $50,000

• CACLV; $50,000

• Miller-Keystone Blood Center; $17,000

• Hispanic Center of the LV; $50,000