GROVE CITY - The borough on Monday voted to apply for money from the state Department of Community and Economic Development to help with the downtown revitalization project.

Borough council agreed to apply for a $500,000 DCED grant with a matching local share required from the borough. That amount hasn't been determined.

The vote was 9-1 to seek the grant, with Tom Shaffer voting no. After the vote, council members raised some concerns about how the money will be spent.

"We need to have mechanisms in place to make sure the money is spent properly," said William Limberg, a council member.

Tim Bonner, borough solicitor, said as the borough gets more into the project, council can decide whether it will handle the funds or whether a special revitalization committee will do so.

The $3.2-million revitalization plan covers the area on Main Street from the Route 208 intersection to Broad Street, Broad Street from Main to Blair streets and Blair Street from Broad to Center streets.

In other business Monday, council members:

Agreed to apply for a $171,000 state grant. The money will be used for improvements to the water and sewage systems and to streets.

Voted to change the name of the Grove City Airport to the Grove City Regional Airport. The name better reflects the 600-square-mile area the airport services, according to a recommendation to council from the airport committee.

Awarded contracts to these companies for various projects: Magnum Contracting of Monongahela, $151,890, for a process blower replacement at the wastewater treatment plant; Brodner Technical Services of Butler, $85,000, electrical work at the treatment plant; and M and R Power Equipment of Hermitage, $10,760 for a utility tractor.

Accepted a proposal for the J-Net System for the police department. The system, also known as the Justice Network, according to police Chief Dean Osborne, will simplify criminal history research.

The proposal involves a matching grant from the county, making the borough's share of the cost about $2,850 for the system and $600 for computer upgrades. The system, which will eventually be mandatory for police departments, should be running within a month.

Hired Josh Malczak full time as a police officer. Malczak has been working for the department for the past year and has completed the probation period. The department has seven full-time and three part-time officers, with one full-time opening still available, according to Osborne.