A new plan to spur economic development in Butler County by tapping into President Donald Trump's recently released infrastructure plan commenced with a vote Wednesday by county commissioners.

Mark Gordon, the county's chief of economic development and planning, received unanimous approval from commissioners to pay Delta Development Group of Mechanicsburg $7,500 per month for four months to help the county access federal funds for its new Butler Corridor Project.

Gordon explained that the group will use its expertise to develop a public funding strategy for the corridors that need improvement throughout the county.

He and commissioners Chairman Leslie Osche gave as examples the Route 68 corridor in Connoquenessing Township, Route 228 East and West, Route 356 in southeastern Butler County and Route 38 in Washington Township, but said there are others.

The end game, Gordon said, is to use Delta's professional and polished plan to access a portion of the $1.4 to $1.7 trillion in infrastructure funding announced by Trump in January.

Osche and Gordon said funding for transportation projects like the 10-mile stretch of Route 228 West between Routes 8 an 19 are not available from the state, but Trump's infrastructure dollars dangles before the county funding to which it would not otherwise have access.

“The president is opening this funding program and here's an opportunity, we think, to be a little more strategic and work with a third party to help us position ourselves so that we could articulate our strategy to the people in Washington, D.C., and (access) funding streams we otherwise would never have access to,” Gordon said.

He hopes the presence of U.S. Congressman Bill Shuster, R-Pa., as the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman will improve the county's chance of receiving funds because Shuster represents the 9th Congressional District south and east of Pittsburgh.

Read the full story in last Thursday's Butler Eagle.