Schuylkill County commissioners expect to accept $1,083,862 in proposed Community Development Block Grant projects that include a $69,832 walking path in West Penn Township and $35,991 in street improvements in Tamaqua when they meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

The projects are among those using a total of $277,069 in CDBG money. Once commissioners accept the projects, they will be submitted to the state Department of Community and Economic Development for final approval.A public hearing on the projects held Wednesday drew only a few people, mostly municipal officials. No one opposed any of the proposals.The projects slated for Tamaqua include $26,138 for the demolition of single-family dilapidated homes at various locations; $35,991 for improvements to Swatara, Jerome, Pitt, Clay, and Nescopec streets; and $25,000 for sidewalk handicapped accessibility to the borough hall. Included is $19,125 for administration of the grant.In West Penn Township, $69,832 is earmarked to pay for extending the walking path at Zion Stone Church Park and removing barriers that impede the handicapped.Other projects include $82,944 for Mahanoy City; $93,036 for Schuylkill Haven; $91,350 for Butler Township; $84,804 for Minersville; $82,635 for Pine Grove Township; $90,139 for Shenandoah; and $90,471 for Wayne Township.The Community Development Block Grant program is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The federal funds then come through the state Department of Community and Economic Development.The program helps moderate to low-income communities with improvement projects including street and infrastructure improvements, demolition of blighted buildings, and public facilities such as parks, sidewalks and community centers.HUD defines low- and moderate-income as households that are at or below 80 percent of the median income for the area. The amounts each community receives are based on a formula that includes population, poverty rates and housing.