Commissioners in Centre County may be taking steps that could help grow the local economy.

The proposal comes from the new commissioner, Mark Higgins. He wants the county to invest in some of its rural areas to “diversify” the economy. He’s asking for $75,000 in grant money, which would come from the county’s contingency fund.

“The two areas are in Moshannon Valley, which is primarily Rush Township and Philipsburg. The other area is sort of the greater Bellefonte area,” Higgins said.

He broke his plan into four divisions – three $5,000 grants and a $60,000 grant. 

The first would support the Moshannon Valley Economic Development Partnership to market the grounds of the former Philipsburg Hospital to sell those sites to local and regional businesses. The second grant would support a “business incubator” in Philipsburg, to mentor start-ups.

Higgins also wants $5,000 to invest in historic signage in the Bellefonte Borough, something he feels would increase tourism.

$60,000 would be invested into a “graduate incubator” in Bellefonte.

“This is for companies that have outgrown the incubators we have in the State College area,” Higgins said. “Businesses that are getting, say, over a dozen employees but at that point, they’re not quite large enough to completely make it by themselves.”

Commissioners Michael Pipe and Steve Dershem supported Higgins’ plan, but want to see a more detailed budget of how the grant money would be spent before voting to approve it. They’re expecting that report next week.