State Rep. Marci Mustello, R-11th, hosted a Friday Morning Coffee Club event Friday morning at Preston Park in Butler Township.

Speakers at the event discussed state grant funding available for various programs and projects.

Nicholas Mackereth, a local government policy specialist with the state Department of Community and Economic Development, spoke on the success of the state's COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program (CHIRP) grants.

Mackereth said additional funds were added to the CHIRP grant program to accommodate losses in the beauty industry.

He spoke on the $1.2 million blight grant allocated to Butler County and detailed the grant process and how the DCED awards gap funding for large-scale economic development projects.

Mackereth said Butler County is unique in that it has a county Growth Collaborative that ensures no grant application efforts are duplicated and that county entities work together for the betterment of Butler County,

He emphasized that such a level of coordination and collaboration strengthens the chances of approval for every grant application received by the DCED.

The Butler Township commissioners in attendance pointed out that the pavilion used for the Friday Morning Coffee event is the result of the township's collaboration with the DCED.

About 35 people attended the Friday Morning Coffee Club on Friday.