NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Mayor of Niagara Falls has proposed $39,000 in grant funding to support an air sterilization project at a downtown nursing home.

The plan is to install a SteriSpace air sterilization system for the Schoellkopf Health Center’s resident recreation room.

“Advanced age, frailty, and communal living conditions make nursing home residents especially vulnerable to contracting COVID-19 and other airborne viruses,” Mayor Robert Restaino said.

Restaino says the proposed $39,000 from the Niagara Falls Community Development COVID Fund would supplement a $190,000 donation by You First Services for purchasing equipment for the project.

“Air sterilization destroys >99.9999% of all pathogens from air samples, which differs from HEPA filtration that may allow pass-through of viruses, mold, small bacteria, and allergens and does not inactivate these contaminants,” the City of Niagara Falls says.

The city goes on to say that the 1,504-square foot, ground-level room is a high-occupancy space with a lot of traffic.

“Residents congregate there to watch movies, read books, and engage in other extracurricular activities,” the city says.

The city says the project at the 120-bed nursing home is expected to be finished by August.