The Butler Redevelopment Authority has been awarded a state grant for rehabilitating owner-occupied housing and is waiting for word on three other grant applications.

The authority was awarded a $200,000 grant to rehabilitate owner-occupied homes in the West End and South Side from the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement (PHARE) Fund from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, said Veronica Walker, acting authority executive director, at Thursday's authority meeting.

She said the authority has received the grant award letter and the grant contract. The contract must be signed and returned to the agency, which will then send the completed contract to the authority, Walker said.

The authority is waiting for responses from three other PHARE grant applications, including one for $400,000 to acquire blighted homes, rehabilitate them and sell them to low-income residents.

In other business, the authority approved contracts for auditing and legal services.

The authority board accepted a proposal from Mark C. Turnley CPA, the authority's current auditing firm, for $4,800 a year through 2022. The fee is the same the authority paid Turnley last year.

The board accepted a proposal from Dillon McCandless King Coulter & Graham, the authority's current solicitor, for $175 an hour for 2021 and 2022. The hourly rate is an increase over the $160 the firm currently charges,

Walker said another law firm submitted a proposal also charging $175 an hour, but that firm does not have experience with Community Development Block Grants and HOME grants that the authority utilizes.

In addition, the Kaufman Drive reconstruction project remains at a stand still until the state Department of Environmental Protection allows contaminated soil from the site to be disposed of in a landfill.

The landfill tested soil samples and agreed to accept the soil, but the DEP also has to approve of the disposal before the soil can be removed, Walker said.

Folino Construction of Oakmont was awarded a $103,000 contract for the project.