Community and Business Development
Homeownership Programs
Carlisle Commercial Facade Restoration Grant Program
The Carlisle Commercial Facade Restoration Program was established by Carlisle Borough Council in 2007. The goal of the program is to create and maintain an attractive and marketable commercial district by assisting building owners in maintaining their building exteriors within the designated program area—Downtown Carlisle.
Businesses and commercial property owners located within Carlisle Borough’s Historic District can receive up to a $12,000 facade grant for improvements to their properties or storefronts. The facade grant can provide 75% or $12,000, whichever is less, of the project cost. The owner, the grant recipient, pays the remaining 25% or any amount beyond that should the project cost exceed $16,000.
The facade is any part of a building that is visible from a public street, alley or right of way. Most exterior work is eligible for this program. Work can include but is not limited to painting, masonry work, gentle cleaning, window and door replacement and roofing. The program guidelines contain a complete list of eligible work items.
The Redevelopment Authority has offered this program since 1982 as a way to maintain, restore and preserve the commercial building inventory making it more attractive to prospective businesses, more appealing to shoppers and visitors and more viable as a community asset.
Procurement Policy for Contractor
- A minimum of three proposals from different contractors must be submitted. Contractors must be furnished with the most recent Davis-Bacon wage decision for building rates from the Department of Labor. The decision is available from the Redevelopment Authority. Contractors must attach the wage decision to their proposal. All employees of contractors must be paid the minimum amount as set forth in the wage decision for the trade the employee performs on the job. Contractors who will solely do all the work as listed in their proposal without any employees are classified as sole proprietors or partnerships and are exempt from paying themselves the rates listed in the wage decision. Contractors can only be identified as sole proprietors if they are listed as the insured entity by their name on their insurance policy. Contractors who have no employees and use subcontractors must furnish subcontractors with the wage decision. Subcontractors with employees shall pay their employees the minimum amount as set forth in the wage decision for the trade the employee performs on the job. Subcontractors who will solely do all the work in their proposal without any employees are classified as sole proprietors or partnerships and are exempt from paying themselves the rates listed in the wage decision. Subcontractors can be identified as sole proprietors if they are persons listed as the insured entity by their name on their insurance policy.
- Payroll forms for all persons working on Carlisle facade projects must be filled out weekly for all persons working on the job. Wage-exempt workers do not have to fill out the earnings section of the payroll form but must fill out the name of the job, the job address, home address and phone number, dates and hours worked, and social security number.
- Payments to the contractor of record can be paid directly to the contractor, or paid directly to the applicant, who will then pay the contractor.
- The program will pay 75% of the contract price to a maximum of $12,000. The applicant is responsible for all costs over the original grant amount. The original grant amount is based on the the overall cost of the project including the owner’s share and contract price.
Summary for Contractors, Subcontractors and Building Owners or Grantees
The information given below summarizes who must pay federal wage rates, who is exempt from federal wage rates, and the responsibilities of contractors and subcontractors who work on jobs that require the payment of federal wage rates.
- Payroll Forms If a general contractor has been contracted to perform the entire job, including hiring subcontractors that he is responsible for paying, the general contractor is ultimately responsible to collect payroll forms from subcontractors and submit them to the contracting agency—the Redevelopment Authority.
- Contractors and Subcontractors - Federal Wage Rate-Exempt and Non-Exempt Persons Working on Jobs with Federal Wage Rates; Definition of Partnerships Federal wage rates must be used by contractors and contractors’ subcontractors to determine labor rates that they must pay employees. Even If the contractor is a sole proprietor, and he/she is doing all the contract work themselves with no help, the wage decision must be attached to his/her proposal. If a contractor or subcontractor is a partnership, then partners are also exempt from paying themselves the wage rates, if they do all the work themselves, with no help. Partnerships must identify themselves as partners by their insurance policies. Each partner must be listed as an insured on the insurance certificate or policy. Payroll forms for all persons working on the job, including sole proprietors and partnerships, must be submitted for each week that work is done on the job. Sole proprietors and partnerships do not have to fill in the wages paid section of the payroll forms. All other areas of the form must be completed.