City awarded $387,000 Community & Economic Development Grant
Earmarked for municipal projects and Westside Community Center
Democratic Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. announced Wednesday Asbury Park is among four communities who received U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grants for community and economic development.
The grants total $5.7 million and include funding through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant [CDBG].
“This federal investment in our congressional district will spur economic growth and are vital to revitalizing communities by helping those who need it most,” Pallone said. “As our state continues to rebuild from Sandy, the Community Development Block Grants and similar programs will help our communities realize a full recovery.”
Asbury Park was awarded $386,067, with portions of the monies earmarked for road improvement and infrastructure projects, homeless prevention, home buyer’s assistance, the home emergency loan program, as well as community events and relocation, said Casandra Dickerson, Director of Community Development.
Currently the city is utilizing 2013 funding to complete over $80,000 road improvement and infrastructure projects, Dickerson said. The monies are earmarked for pothole repairs, sewer problems, refurbishing roadway aprons, and repaving alley ways.
The city was awarded $35,535 for the 2013 reallocation of funds as a result of the Westchester County case. HUD reallocated close to $17 million because the CDBG funds were not with an acceptable “Analysis of Impediments. Those monies are also earmarked for city road improvement projects.
During Wednesday’s City Council meeting, the governing body will vote on whether or not to transition from a cold fill mix to a hot fill mix to repair potholes on city roadways. The hot mix is said to last longer, Mayor John Moor said.
The new $386,067 award also will be utilized for applicants’ projects like the Westside Community Center [shown above] and Care on the Square, Dickerson said.
Grants also were awarded to Long Branch, Middletown, New Brunswick and Monmouth County. The funding also comes from HUD’s HOME Investment Partnership and the Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) program. The programs are aimed at increasing the availability of affordable housing for low-income families and improving the quality and number of emergency homeless shelters across the state.
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