As chair of the Planning and Economic Development committee, I was pleased to sponsor the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) resolution at a recent legislative session. CDBG funding is a federal government program to assist municipalities in low-to-moderate income areas to make community improvements they otherwise might never afford. Projects can range from general repair or replacement of streets and sidewalks, to specific projects such as new playground equipment for a town or village park.
In addition to serving as chair of the committee that authorizes these projects, I am also one of the legislature’s representatives on the steering committee that reviews each application and makes a final recommendation on which projects should be funded.
For 2017, several communities will receive a piece of the $3.5 million dollar pot of funding. The village of Baldwinsville has been awarded $45,000 for renovations to Canton Woods Senior Center. The improvements to the center include renovation of two aging restrooms to include new energy efficient and water-saving fixtures, new exterior emergency doors, as well as some interior flooring in the community room. A previous grant was used to improve the insulation of the roof, and this year’s grant will restore some of the walls that were damaged by the ice backups on the old roof.
The town of Camillus received $45,000 to upgrade the basketball court at Bicentennial Park to a new, full size asphalt court with an acrylic surface, fixed basketball hoops and vinyl covered fencing.
The village of Jordan will also be receiving $45,000 to install and replace sidewalks along the east side of Elbridge Street between Rose Street and South Skaneateles Street. Part of this project will add brand new sidewalks from the corner of South Skaneateles Street to 25 Elbridge St. Two new catch basins are being installed along the street and green space will be added between the sidewalk and street to aid in collecting stormwater runoff. This should improve the drainage in this area during wet weather events.
Lastly, in the town of Van Buren, the Hosmer Drive drainage and pavement rehabilitation project will receive $20,000 to assist in the town’s efforts to improve this street. Town officials have focused on reducing the drainage issues in the Seneca Knolls subdivision over the past 6 years. This funding will be used to install new, closed drainage, along with milling the asphalt and adding an overlay with pavement repairs where needed. The CDBG Committee was impressed that the town’s last grant funded project came in well under budget, and the committee voted to allow the prior year savings to be rolled over into this phase of the ongoing Seneca Knolls plan.
The Community Development Block Grants are not large sums of money; however, they assist towns and villages with projects that would otherwise be paid for with local municipal funding. Each project listed above strengthens the neighborhoods by providing safer sidewalks, improved recreational opportunities and upgrades to drainage and street surfaces. Every little bit helps!
Derek Shepard represents the 13th legislative district; this includes the town of Van Buren, the town of Elbridge, and portions of the town of Camillus. Contact him by email at [email protected] or by phone at 635-3875.
