PITTSBURGH — Groups in Butler County are getting more than $80,000 as part of efforts to mark the 250th anniversary of Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh 250th Anniversary Commission, as part of its anniversary celebration for 2008, awarded the money on Wednesday.

"The 250 Commission is a regional effort," said Stan Kosciuszko, secretary for Butler's downtown revitalization committee, explaining how money for the city's celebration found its way so far north.

The committee received a $5,000 grant to create and maintain a Web site. It should be online before June 2008, according to Kosciuszko.

The YMCA in Butler, the Butler County Historical Society and Butler School District are other notable recipients of $5,000 grants.

"It was pretty competitive and pretty limited," said Kosciuszko.

The county did well, though. Of 15 requests submitted from the county, seven programs received grants.

But the regional grants were much more competitive. The Wild Waterways Conservancy, based in Zelienople, received one of only a dozen $50,000 regional grants.

The conservancy was awarded the funds to beautify and create a series of boat launches on Connoquenessing and Slippery Rock creeks.

The creeks' watersheds cover parts of Butler, Beaver and Lawrence counties.

Other county programs receiving $5,000 grants are:

• Acoustic Avenues and Pixel Perfect Teen Programming — The Butler County YMCAprogram received a grant to provide teens with programs in music and digital arts.

• Acquisition of the Jay Bee Model Circus — The county historical society received a grant to buy the wooden, hand-carved and painted miniature model circus by county artist James Bashline. The society will exhibit and preserve the one-of-a-kind model.

• BASD Fine Arts and Beyond Showcase — The Golden Tornado Scholastic Foundation received a grant for the Butler School District to enhance and promote a showcase of artistic and musical work from students and professional community artists, most of whom are Butler High School graduates.

• Petrolia Area Historical Project — The project received a $3,810 grant to chronologically detail the history of Petrolia and the surrounding area. Founded in 1795, Petrolia is one of a handful of oil boom communities to survive from the oil bust of 1880 to today.

• SRU Green and Growing — The Slippery Rock University Student Government Association received a grant to offer bicycles as alternate transportation on and around campus, as well as to plant more than 100 trees to beautify the community.

• Succop Conservancy Hay Wagon Restoration — The conservancy received a grant to restore a hay wagon stored on its property. The hay wagon will be a landmark for the Heritage School at The Conservancy, a learning center for Butler County Community College classes that teach crafts, arts and trades in Penn Township.

The 250 Commission funded about 50 grants to revitalization and renovation programs in counties adjoining Allegheny County.

More than 300 programs in 14 counties applied for the $50,000 grants, intended to contribute to the "pride and progress" of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Regional grant submissions also needed to show their initiatives would affect large audiences and leave a lasting affect on the communities, according to Steve Catt, Butler County's contact on the 250 Committee and one of 33 judges who chose the winners.