LACKAWANNA, N.Y. -- For at least 10 years, the old Lincoln School on Dona Street in Lackawanna has stood vacant.

"This one has been an eyesore for years and there's been a lot of rumors what they're going to do with it, what they should have done with it. Then it was the cost for tearing it down. Like, who's going to pay the cost for that?" said Joel Kendrick, Lackawanna resident.

The answer: the federal government with a $300,000 community development block grant, or CDBG.        

"The CDBG funding is critical; we've always used that funding every year. The City of Lackawanna and all communities rely on Community Development Block Grant funding for it. So, with $300,000 for this plus the $500,000 from the state, Restore New York funding, it's truly critical for neighborhoods such as Lackawanna and all of Erie County," said Lackawanna Mayor Geoffrey Szymanski.

Erie County receives about $3 million a year in federal funds that goes toward everything from infrastructure improvement to making public buildings ADA compliant. That's why Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz is urging the Trump Administration not to cut the CDBG program.    

"We're very worried because unfortunately the Community Development Block Grant programs [are] proposed to be cut by the Trump Administration. We were joined by Congressman Higgins here who argues that he will be fighting to insure that these Community Development Block Grants continue because these programs are needed so much," said Poloncarz.

The community block grants fund not only demolitions projects like the old Lincoln School in Lackawanna, it also helps fund the Rural Transit Service which helps get seniors to where they need to go.

"Rural Transit Service guarantees that seniors and other low income individuals that live in areas that are not serviced by our NFTA have ability to get to where they need to go. Whether it’s to go to the doctors, to go to the supermarket, to go to the pharmacy, or to come here to the senior center," said Poloncarz.

Rep. Higgins has already pledged his support for the program. Poloncarz is urging residents to ask their congressman to support keeping CDBG funding.