ZELIENOPLE — The Main Street Revitalization Project has received a $500,000 state Department of Community and Economic Development matching grant, the first major state grant that has been awarded to the project.

Borough council Monday night accepted the grant, which a revitalization group will have until June 2015 to use or return to the state.

The group still is awaiting word on several other large state grants before any decision will be made by council to move forward on the project. The group has applied to several programs, the largest of which is a $3.85 million Governor's Capital Assistance Grant.

Officials hope to learn later this year whether they will receive any of those grants.

The first phase of the revitalization project would be building a parking lot between Spring and New Castle streets along Main Street's business district.

Council in January awarded a $225,000 contract to EG&G to provide engineering and final designs. The overall project is estimated to cost about $9 million. It is to be done in several phases and depends on grants.

A group of business leaders and citizens last year formed the nonprofit organization, Zelienople, PA Revitalization, to jump-start the revitalization of downtown through their contributions and with the borough providing seed money.

The three goals are to improve the appearance and infrastructure in the borough, to stimulate economic revitalization and to promote Zelienople.

Councilman Mary Hess said the revitalization committee is applying to 18 private foundations for grants.

The borough has set up a $1.8 million line of credit through a bank to provide the matching funds when the project moves forward.

Councilman Russ Robertson said he appreciates the $500,000 grant from DCED, but noted that the borough must match it with its own $500,000.

Councilman Ralph Geis said he was concerned about the additional burden that could be placed on taxpayers. But, he did acknowledge there is a big need for additional parking along Main Street.

Robertson said taxpayers may not have to come up with the entire match.

“The DCED grant is the first that has been awarded, and applications have been made for a number of other grants. It is quite likely that some of the other grants may defray the costs” to taxpayers, Robertson said.