Carbon County commissioners on Thursday helped smooth the long and winding road to a new handicapped accessible ramp to Lansford's borough office.

The project, years in the planning, would enable people with disabilities to enter the offices at 1 W. Ridge St. to pay bills, ask questions and get information. Currently, a set of steps acts as a barrier.On Thursday, the sole bidder for the Community Development Block Grant project, Bruce George Paving and Excavation of Kunkletown, offered to build the ramp for $88,646. The problem was, the borough didn't have that much money.So Lansford council president Martin Ditsky and Councilwoman Rosemary Cannon, accompanied by borough engineer Eric Snyder, asked commissioners for help.After discussing the matter, Commissioner William O'Gurek moved to borrow $20,000 in CDBG money from other projects that are not being done this year to get the Lansford project done."It would certainly help the town if we could get it done," he said.Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard and Chairman Wayne Nothstein agreed. Nothstein was concerned about change orders increasing the cost of the project. Commissioners agreed that the borough would cover any additional cost.County planner Dave Bodnar said he'd revise the funding for the project, with the state Department of Community and Economic Development's blessing. DCED administers the block grants for the federal government.The revision may take some time, Bodnar said. Snyder said that's no problem, and that the weather-dependent work could be started first, then the railing done as the other money comes in."Either way, we're covered," he said.The borough has a $33,588 grant. It expired in July, but the borough got an extension to the end of the year. In May, commissioners borrowed $40,000 from a Beaver Meadows CDBG project that has been delayed to help offset the cost of the ramp. That left a $15,058 shortfall.Commissioners had conducted other business, gone into recess, then adjourned while Cannon, Ditsky, Snyder, Bodnar and Ryan Richards, also of the planning department, reviewed the bid. As time wore on, it became clear there was a problem. The group eventually returned to the public meeting room to discuss the problem with commissioners, and all agreed to the proposed solution.The ramp would connect to one at the Lansford-Coaldale Joint Water Authority building, which is attached to the borough office building. The offices are housed in what was once the borough's community center.