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CDBG PY2014 Pre-Draft Activity Prioritization(�E IDIAN ]IJ,. 'y,. r.J May 22, 2014 MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor De Weerd and City Council FROM: Lori Den Hartog, CDBG Administrator CC: City Clerk Bruce Chatterton Caleb Hood RE: CDBG Program Year 2014 Pre -Draft Prioritization May 27, 2014 Department Report 1. Introduction In preparation for the City's Program Year 2014 (PY2014) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Annual Action Plan (AP), the City needs to prioritize submitted applications for project funding. The City has received notification that the funding for next year will be $300,091, which is an increase of approximately 2.5% from the previous year. Planning and Administrative expenses are capped at 20% of the annual allocation, which would be approximately $60,000. Based on historic administrative costs, staff is recommending an allocation of $43,000 for administrative expenses, including fair housing activities in PY2014. The remaining amount ($257,000) of the city's CDBG allocation can be used to fund projects, with no more than 15% ($45,000) being used for Public Service Projects. 2. Process and Timeline The City has been working to identify potential future projects for the coming program year. On March 10, 2014 staff conducted a Community Workshop to provide information and reach out to past sub - recipients and potential future sub -recipients. In late March, interested organizations submitted letters of intent, and for those projects that appeared to meet the minimum qualifications, staff invited them to submit a full funding application by May 2, 2014. 3. Application Review and Scoring Community Development Department . 33 E. Broadway Avenue Meridian, ID 83642 Phone 208-884-5533 . Fax 208-888-6854 . www.rneridiancity.org Page 2 Organizations were required to submit applications addressing the following items: • Goals and outcomes of the proposed project, • The need that the proposed project addresses, • How the organization plans to carry out the proposed project, • The capacity of the organization to implement the proposed project, and • Whether or not the organization is going to leverage any other funds for the proposed project. An internal City committee reviewed and scored all of the submitted applications based on a matrix that provided weighted scoring to the more critical items in the application. The scoring criteria used by the committee were provided to the applicants for informational purposes as part of the application form. 4. National Program Considerations The National Goals of the CDBG Program are as follows: • Provide decent, safe, and sanitary housing. • Provide a suitable living environment. • Expand economic opportunities. The National Objectives of the CDBG Program are as follows: • Benefit low -moderate income persons. • Aid in the prevention or elimination of slums or blight. • Meet an urgent need. Other items to consider under the national program regulations include that over a multi-year period 70% of the expenditures must benefit low -moderate income persons. Public Services are capped at 15% of the annual allocation, which would be approximately $36,500 for PY2013. 5. Local Program Considerations The City is entering its third year of the Five Year Consolidated Plan 2012-2016. Each Annual Action Plan is based on the needs, goals, and outcomes identified in the Consolidated Plan. Below are the Strategies and Objectives from the 2012-2016 Consolidated Plan: Strategy No. JL (Affordable Housing): Improve access to affordable housing opportunities for Meridian Residents. Objective 1.1: Address the need for affordable decent housing by supporting a down payment assistance program for qualifying households. Strategy No. 2 (Suitable Living Environment): Support services, programs, and projects for the city's LMI residents, including persons with special needs and residents at -risk of homelessness. • Objective 2.1: Support public service activities that serve the city's LMI residents. Objective 2.2: Invest in public facility improvements that serve persons with special needs and low income residents, as well as public facility improvements located in the city's LMI areas. Strategy No. 3 (Economic Opportunities): Improve economic opportunities in the city's LMI areas. • Objective 3.1: Support public service activities that provide employment training or job creation/retention for the city's LMI residents. Page 3 Objective 3.2: Invest in public facility improvements or activities in the downtown area that address one or more of the conditions which contributed to the deterioration of the area. 6. Projects & Recommended Funding Below is a list and brief project description of all the funding applications submitted for Program Year 2014. Public Service Applications • Hunger Relief, Meridian Food Bank: Project funds would be used to purchase food that is distributed through the Meridian Food Bank to hungry families and to children through the weekend Backpack Program. • Case Management Services, Charitable Assistance to Community's Homeless (CATCH): Project funds would be used to pay for increased staffing time for the one CATCH employee serving homeless families in Meridian. CATCH houses homeless families and provides intensive case management to address issues contributing to the family's homeless episode while preparing the family for self-sufficiency. • Satellite Office, EI -Ada Community Action Partnership: Project funds would be used to set-up and staff a satellite office in Meridian to provide services including housing assistance to prevent homelessness, utility assistance, home weatherization, etc. to Meridian residents. Non Service Applications • Meridian Fitness Path, Meridian Elementary School: Project funds would be used to construct a mile path in Meridian Elementary's west field. The path is composed of a blacktop surface loop and scientifically designed stationed based exercises. The path will also serve as a pedestrian connection between 4`h Street and Pine Avenue/NW 1't Street. • Community Center Fayade Improvements (Design and Construction), Meridian Parks and Recreation Department: Project funds would be utilized to design and construct facade improvements for the Meridian Community Center in downtown Meridian. • Community Center Fayade Improvements (Design only), Meridian Parks and Recreation Department: Project funds would be utilized to design fa5ade improvements for the Meridian Community Center in downtown Meridian with construction anticipated a future date. • Youth Cultural Center, Yung Urban Cultural Center (YUCC): Project funds would be used to lease and improve building space in Meridian for a new youth center, to plan and provide for community services for adolescents, and to pay for staff time and marketing services for the new center. • Roadway Improvements south side of Broadway Avenue east of Main Street, Meridian Development Corporation: Project funds would be used to design and construct an attached sidewalk on the south side of Broadway Avenue between Main Street and East Third Street. • ADA Improvements at E. 2nd Street & Idaho Avenue, Meridian Development Corporation: Project funds would be used to design and construct ADA improvements at the southwest and northwest corners of the E. 2"d Street and Idaho Avenue intersection. Page 4 The CDBG Scoring Committee that reviewed all of the submitted applications recommends funding two projects under the public service category, the first for the Meridian Food Bank and the second for the CATCH Program because these applications scored the highest on all of the scoring criteria. The CDBG Scoring Committee recommends funding two of the six submitted projects for the non -service applications at varying funding levels. The Scoring Committee recommends funding the Meridian Fitness Path as submitted by Meridian Elementary School and the design and construction project for facade improvements at the Meridian Community Center as submitted by the Meridian Parks and Recreation Department. These applications are being recommended because they scored the scored the highest on all of the scoring criteria. Three public service applications were submitted for a total funding request of $78,000. As identified above, the available funding for the coming program year is capped at approximately $45,000 for public services. Public Service Applications Applicant Project Name Funding Recommended Request Funding Meridian Food Bank Hunger Relief, Purchase of $30,000 $27,000 Food Supplies CATCH Case Management for rapid $18,000 $18,000 re -housing of homeless families EI -Ada Community Satellite Office in Meridian $30,000 $0 Action Partnership Page 5 Six non- service applications were submitted for a total funding request of $389,500 to $558,000. The available funding for Program Year 2014 is $212,000 for these types of projects. Non -Public Service Applications Applicant Project Name Funding Recommended Request Funding Meridian Elementary Fitness Path $50,000 $50,000 School Meridian Parks & Fasade Improvements at $187,000 $162,000 Recreation Department Meridian Community Center (Design & Construction) Meridian Parks & Fagade Improvements at $18,500 $0 Recreation Department Meridian Community Center (Design only) Yung Urban Cultural Facility, staff, and services $241,000 $0 Center (YUCC) for a new youth cultural center Meridian Development Roadway improvements $40,000 $0 Corporation (MDC) south side of Broadway Ave. Meridian Development ADA improvements at E. $40,000 $0 Corporation (MDC) 2"d Street and Idaho Ave. 7. Next Steps After Council has established the priorities for the coming program year at the May 27 public meeting, staff will prepare the draft annual action plan. The required public comment period for the draft Program Year 2014 Action Plan will be from June 16, 2014 through July 22, 2014. The public hearing for the Program Year 2013 Action Plan is scheduled for July 22, 2014.