Community Development Block Grants awarded to help improve 54 communities statewide
54 Alabama towns, cities and counties were awarded a total of nearly $17.8 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) on Friday by Governor Kay Ivey. The 54 grants will support a number of community improvement projects including water and sewer extensions and rehabilitation, street and drainage improvements, housing rehabilitation and community centers. “The beginning of a better Alabama starts today for many residents who are without clean water to drink or safe roads to drive or suitable housing in which to live,” Ivey said. “I am pleased to award these grants to support vital community improvement projects, and I commend the dedicated local officials who sought these grants with the intent to make their communities better places to live.” CDBG are awarded annually through a competitive process in four main categories including small city, large city, counties and community enhancements. Other categories in this round include Black Belt and planning grants. Award determinations are based on the number of low and moderate-income families affected, urgency of the need and project cost efficiency. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). “As a former mayor whose city has been a recipient of CDBG awards, I can attest to how important this program is to our towns, cities and counties and the difference these grants can make in a community,” explained ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell. “ADECA is pleased to join Governor Ivey in the partnerships that it takes to make these grants come to fruition.” Those awarded grants, grant amounts and projects are: Small City Fund (Municipalities with populations of 3,000 or less) Beatrice – $350,000 for street improvements. Camden – $350,000 for water and sewer improvements. Carrollton – $350,000 for sewer improvements. Cherokee – $314,000 for street and drainage improvements. Detroit – $350,000 for water improvements. Falkville – $350,000 for sewer improvements. Luverne – $350,000 for water and street improvements. Millry – $350,000 for water improvements. New Hope – $350,000 for sewer and street improvements. Oak Grove – $200,000 for sewer improvements. Parrish – $350,000 for street and drainage improvements. Pisgah – $314,900 for water improvements. Rutledge – $350,000 for street improvements. Samson – $350,000 for sewer, water and street improvements. Sumiton – $350,000 for sewer improvements. Toxey – $350,000 for street improvements. Woodville – $350,000 for street and drainage improvements. Vredenburgh – $350,000 for street improvements. Large City Fund (Municipalities with populations of 3,001 or more) Andalusia – $280,000 for street improvements. Demopolis – $450,000 for sewer improvements. Elba – $450,000 for downtown revitalization. Eufaula – $450,000 for housing rehabilitation. Haleyville – $450,000 for sewer, water, drainage and street improvements. Hamilton – $450,000 for sewer, water, street and drainage improvements. Jacksonville – $429,713 for sewer improvements LaFayette – $450,000 for water improvements. Piedmont – $450,000 for sewer improvements. Roanoke – $359,487 for street improvements. Talladega – $450,000 for sewer improvements. Tuskegee – $450,000 for water and street improvements, and demolition and revitalization. County Fund (applies to 65 Alabama counties with Mobile and Jefferson counties receiving CDBG funds directly from HUD) Baldwin County – $350,000 for water improvements near the Lillian community. Hale County – $350,000 for water improvements in the Akron area. Madison County – $300,000 for water improvements east of Huntsville. Marshall County – $350,000 for street improvements on several county roads. Monroe County – $350,000 for water improvements west of Frisco City. Montgomery County – $350,000 for housing rehabilitation in Eastwood Villa. Sumter County – $350,000 for water improvements north of Cuba. Washington County – $350,000 for water improvement in the Fruitdale area. Community Enhancement Fund (municipalities of all sizes and 65 Alabama counties for projects addressing quality of life issues.) Akron – $250,000 for sewer improvements. Autaugaville – $250,000 for a new senior center. Barbour County – $250,000 for a new fire station in the Texasville community. Billingsley – $250,000 for town park improvements. Blountsville – $250,000 for sewer and street improvements. Blue Springs – $185,000 for water improvements. Butler County – $250,000 for courthouse renovations/handicapped accessibility. Cottonwood – $250,000 for street improvements. Dozier – $247,510 for demolition and clearance. Enterprise – $250,000 for demolition and clearance. Lauderdale County – $202,569 for a new senior center in the Greenhill community. Lisman – $182,771 for street improvements. Midway – $250,000 to convert a school into a community center. River Falls – $250,000 for street improvements. Black Belt Fund (municipalities and counties within a 12-county Black Belt region.) Selma – $450,000 for drainage improvements. Planning Fund (awarded to guide municipalities in orderly growth, revitalization or development.) Piedmont – $40,000 Skyline – $35,000
Kay Ivey awards over $6.3 million in Community Development Block Grants
On Wednesday, Gov. Kay Ivey presented over $6.3 million in Community Development Block Grants to improve the communities of 26 Alabama cities, towns and counties. These grants are allocated annually through a competitive process based on many components including: the community’s need, cost efficiency of projects and number of low- and moderate-income families affected. “Lives will be improved today thanks to these projects funded through the Community Development Block Grant program,” insisted Ivey. “People who have been subject to impure water will get clean water to drink, bathe and wash. People who have been maneuvering unsafe roads will soon be traveling smooth streets and the list goes on. I am so thankful for this program and the assistance it provides to communities who may be unable to afford these needed improvements on their own.” A ceremony at the Capitol announced the first wave of CDBG grants, Ivey plans to reveal another series of the same grants on February 1. The grants are made possible through funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) is responsible for the administration of the allowances. “As a former mayor, I am aware of how important these grants are to these communities and the impact that they have in improving the quality of life,” asserted Director of ADECA, Kenneth Boswell. “I join with Gov. Ivey in congratulating the towns, cities and counties that have been awarded grants. Those involved in this process are to be commended for their dedication and hard work they have provided for their communities.” The funds are in several categories of aid including: community enhancement, county, planning and Black Belt. The Community Development Block Grants awarded, their amounts, and the projects they will fund are as follows: Planning Town of Ragland – $28,000 for downtown revitalization plan. Black Belt Town of Pine Hill – $350,000 for water improvements. County Choctaw County Commission – $350,000 for street improvements. Clarke County Commission – $350,000 for street improvements. Coosa County Commission – $350,000 for street improvements. Covington County Commission – $350,000 for water extension. DeKalb County Commission – $256,422 for streets and drainage. Geneva County Commission– $350,000 for water extension. Jackson County Commission – $275,780 for water extension. Lamar County Commission – $222,000 for water extension. St. Clair County Commission – $350,000 for street improvements. Community Enhancement City of Aliceville – $206,272 for fire truck for Volunteer Fire Department. Town of Ariton – $249,976 for street improvements. City of Ashford – $146,807 for street improvements. Town of Chatom – $150,000 for street improvements. City of Evergreen – $250,000 for a baseball field. Town of Louisville – $250,000 for street improvements. Town of Mosses – $149,068 for community park upgrades. City of Muscle Shoals – $250,000 for a “miracle field” ball field. City of Ozark – $250,000 for a swimming pool. City of Sheffield – $132,300 for demolition and clearance. Town of Susan Moore – $250,000 for water improvements. Town of Taylor – $205,604 for street improvements. Town of Thorsby – $250,000 for demolition and clearance. Town of Triana – $238,690 for Town Hall rehabilitation. City of Wetumpka – $171,000 for demolition and clearance.
Housing chief Ben Carson steps up public profile in coming weeks
President Donald Trump‘s point man on housing, Ben Carson, takes on a higher profile this month in Washington – an opportunity to spell out his vision on federal housing policy, and to try to avoid some of the verbal gaffes that have stirred criticism in his first months on the job. On Thursday, Carson will headline a homeownership conference at his agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Next week, he heads to Capitol Hill to testify before House and Senate panels about deep cuts planned for HUD in Trump’s proposed budget. It’s a shift in visibility for the renowned neurosurgeon and former Republican presidential candidate as he nears 100 days in Trump’s Cabinet. Since taking the helm of HUD in March, Carson, 65, has visited a handful of cities as part of a national “listening tour” to talk to HUD employees, housing officials and public housing residents. He’s also had appearances at some housing conferences – most of it with little or no advance notice to the media. So far, he has not shared publicly his policy agenda for the department. HUD spokesman Raffi Williams says Carson is no longer a candidate running for political office and has been busy leading a $40 billion federal agency that has more than 8,000 employees. “He’s focused on governing and crafting policies that advance HUD’s mission of creating strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all Americans,” said Williams. When Carson has discussed his views on government and housing policy, he’s sparked some criticism. In his first full week on the job, Carson seemed to describe slaves as immigrants, saying – “there were other immigrants who came here on the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less.” Last week, on the radio show of close friend and conservative commentator Armstrong Williams, Carson said poverty is largely a “state of mind.” “You take somebody who has the right mindset, you can take everything from them and put them on the street and I guarantee you, in a little while, they’ll be right back up there,” Carson told Armstrong on his SiriusXM show. “And you take somebody with the wrong mindset, you can give them everything in the world and they’ll work their way back down to the bottom.” The comments from Carson, who grew up poor in inner-city Detroit, stoked outrage on social media – coming from the head of an agency that provides millions of lower-income people with rental subsidies and other housing assistance. But Rolf Pendall, co-director of a housing program at the Urban Institute think tank, isn’t worried that Carson has “been given the mission of destroying the agency.” While not defending Carson’s comments, Pendall said the housing chief’s testimony during his January confirmation hearing shows “he clearly does think that HUD is part of the solution to urban problems, to rural problems, to housing problems in the United States, and that many of its programs have been effective in the past.” Carson’s vision could become clearer when he testifies about the administration’s proposed $6 billion cut in the agency’s $47 billion budget. Slated for elimination in the Trump budget are several housing support and community development programs, such as the $3 billion Community Development Block Grant program. The plan also would cut about $2 billion from the department’s rental assistance programs, to $35.2 billion. Rental assistance programs comprise about 80 percent of the agency’s total funding. New requirements to encourage work and self-sufficiency are part of the plan. One proposal would increase the tenant contribution toward rent from 30 percent of adjusted income to up to 35 percent of gross income. The cuts would be devastating, Pendall said: “People will lose housing vouchers. They will become homeless, and some of them will die.” Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, says she wants to see Carson focus on programs with proven results – such as the Housing Trust Fund, which the Trump budget would eliminate, or Section 8 housing vouchers. “Each of these programs not only end homelessness and housing insecurity, but they are proven to increase the educational attainment of the kids living in those affordable homes and to increase the lifetime earnings of the kids living in those homes,” Yentel said. Yentel called Trump’s budget proposal “extreme overreach” and said she worries it moves the goal posts so far that “it creates an environment where cuts only half as deep seem like a reasonable compromise.” Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Ronda Walker: Sensationalism sells, and the truth be damned
If you were to read a headline that stated, “Dog found on roadside” you might not even take the time to read the full article. But if the headline stated, “Fifty mutilated puppies found on roadside” that would definitely grab your attention. How about, “Flashes of light seen in night sky during storm” versus “Unexplained flashes of light seen by dozens could be UFOs.” Sensationalism sells, and the truth be damned. The United States federal budget process is very complicated; I do not understand it and won’t act like I do. But in my best Schoolhouse Rock attempt I will sum it up like this: the President submits a budget request to Congress, then the House and Senate have to come to some agreement on what they want to do, then Congressional hearings take place, and eventually the document (much evolved from the original version) goes back to the President for signature. There are a kabillion (official number) programs that receive federal funds. So many programs, in fact, that our country has a $20 trillion deficit. Twenty Trillion Dollars. That is a ridiculous and unsustainable figure. President Donald Trump recently submitted his budget request to Congress, the first step in the process, and the media absolutely freaked out. When everyone got their eye on the White House budget, it was probably some smart Democrat staffer on the Senate side that said, hey, let’s distract the entire nation from looking at this budget by scaring them to death with a headline that reads, “President Trump to gut Meals on Wheels program – seniors nationwide will begin to starve to death within the week.” And that’s exactly what they did, and it worked. It worked because first, the general public does not understand the budget process and they actually believe the President can unilaterally set the federal budget. And two, it worked because the news said it was true, so it must be true. Wrong. Meals on Wheels, administered in central Alabama by the Montgomery Area Council on Aging (MACOA), is a phenomenal program with a life-changing impact on local seniors. This program ensures homebound seniors in our area receive a hot midday meal. In addition to a nutritious meal, the seniors get a friendly smile and loving concern by the volunteer delivering their meal. Meals on Wheels is a program I support both personally as well as publicly through the appropriation of county funds. MACOA is a well run and effective organization and I encourage everyone to donate to MACOA or your local Meals on Wheels provider program. Last week the media reported that the White House budget gutted funding to the Meals on Wheels program – that assertion is false. The White House does not make unilateral budget decisions, moreover Meals on Wheels isn’t even a federal program. This was all a ploy to confuse and distract us from the real issue of the day – our $20 trillion deficit. Twenty Trillion Dollars. As educated Americans we have got to learn to stop chasing these false headlines. We have got to stop blindly reacting to what we read in the media, social and otherwise. But oftentimes we get all Chicken Little about a false issue not because we mistakenly believe it. We oftentimes spread the false narrative because it will help us win an argument, or it will help our side look better. That horrible monster Donald Trump is starving seniors to death; I told you he is a bad President. Yet, that same angry person that just lashed out about Trump never said a peep when President Barack Obama went year after year, after year and never submitted a budget at all which threw agencies dependent on federal funding into a tailspin of uncertainty. Let’s take a look at what actually happened. The White House wants to cut funding to a federal program called Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). It is important to note that Presidents Bush and Obama both proposed cuts to CDBG as well, it just happened without all of this manufactured uproar about taking meals away from the elderly. CDBG funds are federal funds given to states and localities to use at their discretion – and the use and effectiveness of these monies has been questioned for years, thus the desire to scale back on the spending for this program. A few localities designate a small amount of CDBG funds to their local Meals on Wheels program, so those programs could indeed be impacted in the event CDBG gets reduced. However the vast majority of federal dollars to Meals on Wheels comes not from CDBG but from the Department of Health and Human Services through the Older Americans Act. And, the majority of money spent on this program comes from state, local, and private funding, not federal. Every day I read media reports and social media posts that are full of false information and opinion and people buy it hook line and sinker. It’s exhausting. Political spin and trickeration is nothing new. There are lies coming from both sides of the political aisle, likewise there is truth coming from both sides. As caring and involved Americans, we must do our due diligence, dig deep, and understand the facts for ourselves. Please never just rely on one source for your news, read multiple articles and authors and form an education conclusion. And, don’t forget to support your local Meals on Wheels provider! ••• Ronda M. Walker is a wife, mother of four and the Vice Chairman of the Montgomery County Commission.
Robert Bentley awards $1.2 million in grants for south-central Alabama
Governor Robert Bentley Tuesday announced he’s awarding $1.2 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for four projects in south-central Alabama to help improve living conditions. Both the Autauga County Commission and the town of Eclectic will receive $350,000 each, and the cities of Dadeville and Goodwater $250,000 each. “These grants will help address some urgent needs in areas where local revenues are stretched thin,” Bentley said in a release. “I am pleased to assist local officials throughout the region who are striving to improve the quality of life in their communities.” The grant recipients and their projects are as follows: Autauga County Commission (Autauga County): The Billingsley Water System will use funds to make multiple improvements at its two well sites including adding filters, chlorine monitor and leak detectors and replacing electrical components. The project will improve water quality for the 450 households served by the system and eliminate unsafe electrical components. The county commission has pledged an additional $35,000 in local funding for the project. The city of Goodwater (Coosa County): Will raze and remove debris from eight dilapidated buildings that are a downtown eyesore and a hazard to safety and health. The buildings, which housed mercantile businesses, all front Main Street (Alabama Highway 9). City officials believe the demolition is a first step in revitalizing the downtown and improving the city’s economic situation. The city is seeking guidance from Auburn University’s Community Planning program on ways to enhance downtown. The town is contributing $25,000 for the project. The town of Eclectic (Elmore County): Will upgrade its wastewater treatment plant by installing a multi-filtration and screening system that will more adequately treat sewage and ensure the system is in compliance with standards required by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. Repairs at the plant in 2014 exceeded $16,000 and experts indicate those repair costs will continue without major modifications and upgrades. The upgrade will enable the town to serve new customers and businesses. Residents not served by the town system also will benefit because the town can resume accepting waste from septic-tank haulers who may have had to charge more for their services because of the additional mileage and costs involved in disposing of waste. Local funding of $375,000 has been pledged for the project. The city of Dadeville (Tallapoosa County): Will demolish and clear unsafe structures throughout the city. City officials say the structures pose threats to safety and security of neighborhoods and also reduce property values. Nearly 49 abandoned residences and four commercial structures have been deemed inhabitable and targeted for demolition. City officials say nuisance properties are the top complaints voiced by residents, but the city has been unable without outside financial assistance to do anything about the problem. The city has pledged $25,321 in local funding for the project. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the awards from funds made available to the state by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
