Carbon County will be giving back an additional $500,000 that was earmarked for the Packerton Business Park project.

According to correspondence to the Carbon County Commissioners from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the $500,000 Surface Transportation Grant that Carbon received in 2009 for work on the railroad crossing at the former Packerton Yards property, located between Mahoning Township and Lehighton, must go back to the state.This now brings the total of returned state and federal funds to $2,850,301.Last week, the commissioners voted to send back a $1 million United States Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration grant. Other returned funds include two local share grants totaling $1,231,501; and a federal Economic Development Initiative grant in the amount of $118,800.The county now has one remaining grant for the project a $2 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Project grant.The Packerton Business Park project officially came to an end in November 2013, when Commonwealth Court Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt upheld a January 2013 Carbon County Court of Common Pleas ruling that denied the county from developing county roads through the 59-acre site between Mahoning Township and Lehighton.At that time, the commissioners announced that they were not going to appeal the decision.Carbon County had been working to build an industrial business park at the former Packerton Yards rail yard since 2003, stating at the time that it would bring hundreds of jobs to the area; as well as thousands in tax revenue.In other matters, the commissioners acted on the following agenda items:• Approve the 2013-2014 Homeless Assistance Program letter of agreement with the Carbon County Action Committee regarding the administration of HAP in the amount of $27,359 plus interest.• Accept a proposal from Stoney Ridge Fabricators LLC of Palmerton to perform welding repairs on bridge 12, located on Old Stage Road in Penn Forest Township, at a total cost of $3,800. The work will be completed within seven calendar days after the notice to proceed paperwork is filed and as long as weather conditions are suitable for work to proceed.• Approve an agreement with Suzette Kurtz to provide logistics and accuracy testing of the county's voting machines for the 2014 municipal primary and general elections. Compensation will be $20 per hour and shall not exceed 180 hours.• Approve a maintenance, software license and support services agreement with Elections Systems and Software LLC, of Delaware. The agreement shall be from Feb. 1 through Jan. 31, 2016 and will auto renew for two successive two-year terms. The cost will be $24,079 annually.• Approve the termination of the lease agreement with Jeremy Barbosa of Barbosa's Greenery LLC of Palmerton, for the operation of the boat rental concession stand at Mauch Chunk Lake Park. The termination is effective March 2. The board also initiated all legal action necessary for recovering the delinquent lease payment of $4,632 plus interest.• Authorize the solicitation of request for proposals for the operation of the boat rental concession stand at the same minimum bid as before.• Opened RFPs for auditing services of the county's financials for the years 2013 and 2014. Five companies submitted proposals, which were turned over to the county audit committee for review. The contract will be awarded on Feb. 27.• Approve the resignation of Irene M. Gavornik of Jim Thorpe as a part-time senior center manager I, Area Agency on Aging, effective Feb. 7.• Approve the court appointment of Sarah M. Sherer of Palmerton as a department clerk III, court administration, effective Feb. 3.