Gov. Heineman Awards $56,000 in Planning Grants to Seven Communities

Gov. Heineman Awards $56,000 in Planning Grants to Seven Communities

Gov. Dave Heineman today awarded a total of $56,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to seven Nebraska communities. The communities of Bellevue, Columbus, Fremont, Grand Island, Kearney, Norfolk and North Platte, will each receive $8,000 to help identify areas in need of redevelopment with future grant funds.

Those efforts, called Revitalization Strategies, involve creating one-, two- and three-year action plans that target housing and public works needs. Federal grant funds were awarded through the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) category for Comprehensive Revitalization, which allows more flexible investments to address the housing and infrastructure needs of residential areas with concentrations of lower-income populations.

"These grants will help several of our communities identify their future development needs and will help them develop strategies to meet those needs," Gov. Heineman said. "This is seed money for future growth."

Projects that support local Revitalization Strategies are expected to be implemented from 2006 to 2008. Development of the strategies and resulting implementation projects must involve citizen participation, particularly from each city's low- and middle-income residents. DED offered the following estimates of what each community could unlock for implementation beginning in 2006: Bellevue, $280,000; Columbus, $138,000; Fremont, $162,000; Grand Island, $296,000; Kearney, $174,000; Norfolk, $165,000; North Platte, $172,000.

Potential revitalization projects may include: housing rehabilitation or homebuyer assistance programs; neighborhood or senior centers; nonprofit day care or dependent care centers; nonprofit health and mental health care outpatient clinics; accredited public libraries; single- or multi-service fire/rescue buildings; removal of architectural barriers for accessibility; water distribution and/or sanitary sewer collection system improvements; bridge and/or street improvements, including curbing, gutters and sidewalks, storm sewer improvements; flood control; drainage improvements; and tornado-safe shelters in manufactured home parks.

http://gov.nol.org/news/2005_05/19_planning_grants.html