As Council is aware, the City has contracted with Fred Fox Enterprises to assist the City with various items related to Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funds. The City was notified in late September of a funding opportunity for Small Cities CDBG-CV. In short, the City may apply for $200,000 up to $5,000,000 in this competitive application process however the application must be for a single project or program. The project activities must meet at least one of the following National Objectives:
- Benefit to Low and Moderate Income Persons (LMI) individuals and/or households including:
- Indirect benefit activities - at least 51% of beneficiaries must be LMI (e.g. - widening an existing sidewalk); or
- Direct benefit activities - 100% of beneficiaries must be LMI (e.g. - improvements to a food pantry)
- Prevention of elimination of slum and blight; or
- Address an urgent need.
Project activities must prevent, prepare for or respond to the Coronavirus and should demonstrate direct or indirect effect. Some examples of activities that could request funding include but are not limited to:
- Rehabilitate a facility for testing, diagnosis or treatment of COVID-19
- Acquire, rehabilitate or construct a group living facility that may be used to centralize patients undergoing treatment
- Installation of wiring, fiber optic cables and permanently affixed equipment such as receivers for areas to receive broadband/internet access
- Rehabilitate a senior center, community center or homeless shelter by replacing the HVAC System and/or installing air purification system
- Acquisition and/or rehabilitation of a building to expand capacity of homeless shelters to accommodate social distancing and isolation
- Installation of wi-fi routers/extenders in affordable housing buildings and/or communities which contain at least 51% LMI residents
- Provide testing, diagnosis or other services at a fixed or mobile location
- Provide equipment, supplies and materials necessary to carry-out a public service
- Reconstruction of sidewalks (expansion) to allow for social distancing
- Deliver meals on wheels to quarantined individuals or individuals that need to maintain social distancing due to medical vulnerabilities
As a condition of the application, the City must hold two public hearings on this matter to allow for public input in order to bring forward possible projects they would like to see the City use the CDBG-CV funding for. The second public hearing will take place as part of your regular on October 19, 2021.
David Fox from Fred Fox Enterprises will be in attendance to make a more detailed presentation to Council regarding the above mentioned items.
The deadline to submit the application to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is November 1, 2021.