Council OKs community development plan
Spokane’s low-income neighborhood councils and steering committees will receive $1 million in federal community development funds for 2006-2007 to fix sidewalks, plant trees and support nonprofit agencies, among other uses.
The Spokane City Council on Monday approved a $5 million community development action plan for 2006 that allocates $1 million directly to neighborhood organizations, which decide how to spend the money under city and federal rules.
Another $800,000 is being set aside for housing rehabilitation loans, while $300,000 will go to subsidize residential street paving projects.
Spokane’s community centers, nonprofit clinics and other nonprofit agencies will receive the balance of the community development block grant funds.
The city has been able to maintain its $5 million annual program despite federal budget cuts of about 15 percent over the past two years and revenue losses stemming from a failed garage deal involving River Park Square.
The city’s community development program holds a $20 million low-interest loan portfolio for private home rehabilitations, and that loan portfolio produced $1 million in payoffs over the past year, which was then plowed back into community development programs to boost the 2006 funding level, said Mike Adolphae, director of community development.
Of the 13 low-income neighborhoods included in the grant program, the Hillyard Neighborhood will receive the largest allocation at $176,500. The Nevada-Lidgerwood and East Central neighborhoods are the next largest allocations at $171,200 and $133,600, respectively.
Other allocations are Browne’s Addition, $35,500; Chief Garry Park, $57,300; Downtown, $59,300; Emerson-Garfield, $89,400; Historic Cannon’s Addition, $38,000; Latah Creek, $25,000; Logan, $77,100; North Hill, $30,100; Peaceful Valley, $25,000; and West Central, $81,900.
Neighborhoods in the past have been able to save up allocations to fund larger projects, such as the Hillyard Neighborhood’s purchase of land for a park some years ago. But the federal government has changed program rules and no longer will allow community development funds to accumulate from year to year.
Funds now will have to be spent in the year in which they are allocated, officials said.
In other city business, the council:
•Approved a low bid of Murphy Brothers Inc. of Spokane to pave 37th Avenue from Bernard Street to Grand Boulevard under the city’s 2004 street bond issue. The contract is for $1.75 million.
•Also in street bond spending, the council approved a $1.3 million contract with Shamrock Paving Inc. of Spokane for paving G Street from Northwest Boulevard to Wellesley Avenue. Shamrock also was approved for $78,000 contract to pave Garfield Street from 37th to 38th avenues.
•Set hearings for May 30 on a vacation of 15 feet of Sharp Avenue from the alley west of Wall Street to Wall Street as requested by Tana C. Blomberg and John St. Marie III, and for the formation of a local improvement district to pave Ferrall Street from Bridgeport to Garnet avenues and Courtland Avenue from Thor to Ferrall streets.
•Adopted an ordinance vacating Mount Vernon Street from Southeast Boulevard to a half-block to the north as requested by Joe Bozo, doing business as JLB Construction.
•Changed the zoning for two blocks of land north of Upriver Drive at the intersection of Granite Street and Crescent Avenue to allow for a planned unit development by Riverview Retirement Community.