Spending a $25M relief grant
By Steve Herring
Published in News on September 4, 2017 5:50 AM
Wayne County residents Tuesday morning will have the opportunity to comment on and ask questions about the county's plans to apply for more than $25 million in disaster relief funding.
A public hearing on the grant will start at 9:30 a.m. in the Wayne County commissioners' meeting room on the fourth floor of the Wayne County Courthouse Annex.
Citizens will be given the opportunity to provide oral and written comments on the proposed uses of the grant funds at the public hearing.
The public hearing will also provide information on the county's support of fair housing requirements.
It will be the second and final hearing on the grant.
The first, which was held last month, provided information about the grant, but no funding specifics.
Commissioners are expected to authorize filing the grant application following the public hearing. The filing would be by Sept. 15.
The application would be for $25,414,784 in Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Relief funds through the N.C. Division of Emergency Management for activities to assist area citizens in their long-term recovery from Hurricane Matthew.
All programs and categories of activities are designed and targeted to benefit low- to-moderate income residents and households.
The tentative list of proposed activities and an estimated budget include:
* Homeowner housing rehabilitation, $4,725,000.
* Homeowner housing reconstruction, $7,808,010.
* Homeowner mobile home repair, $120,000.
* Homeowner mobile home replacement, $1,440,000.
* Acquisition for subdivision construction, $100,000.
* Temporary rental assistance, $700,000.
* Flood insurance assistance, $282,000.
* Homeowner housing repair reimbursement, $600,000.
* Small rental repair program, $990,000.
* Multi-family rental housing program, $1,250,000.
* Small Business recovery loan assistance, $750,000. Small businesses anywhere in the county can apply for Small Business loans.
* Flood and drainage improvements, $2,000,000. Flood and storm drainage improvements include storm piping/culverts in Fremont, Goldsboro and Pikeville.
* Neighborhood facilities improvements, $1,600,000. This include installation of generators at emergency shelters in Goldsboro; improvements to Carver Cultural Center in Mount Olive; and construction of a new fire station in Seven Springs.
* Planning, $1,779,035.
* Administration, $1,270,739.
Homeowner and rental housing activities will take place throughout the county and municipalities.
Wayne County will serve as grantee of the project. Goldsboro and Mount Olive will serve as sub-grantees responsible for administration of project activities within their jurisdictions.
The proposed project will provide housing benefits to approximately 223 households, 100 percent of whom will be low-to-moderate income, and to approximately 10 small businesses, at least 25 percent of whom will be low-to-moderate income.
Of the households benefiting from flood and drainage improvements and neighborhood facilities, at least 75 percent will be low-to-moderate income.
No one will be permanently displaced as a result of the proposed project activities.
Additional information is available from Wayne County Planning Director Chip Crumpler, 134 N. John St., 919-731-1650.