CHAFFEE COUNCIL TO AIR GRANT TO IMPROVE CITY

CHAFFEE -- The Chaffee City Council will have to decide how much it is willing to spend to spruce up the business district.

Vincenza Haney, who has lived in Chaffee for four years, has been working on getting the council's support on an application for a $400,000 state grant. The money would be used for sidewalks, curbs, lighting and landscaping.

"This is in the hopes that we can revitalize the business district since it has been deteriorating over the years," Haney said.

The problem is in the required 20 percent matching funds or in-kind work the city would be responsible for. That comes to about $37,000 a year, Haney said.

Haney will present her plan for landing the grant and doing the work at no cost to taxpayers at tonight's city council meeting.

Haney said the city could use tax money from the state, city workers, volunteers and private fund-raisers to raise the money. "Most of it's in-kind labor from the town that's already in the budget," she said.

Haney said area businesses could contribute, and bricks could be sold for a memorial walk in one of Chaffee's parks. "There's also the possibility that we would qualify for low-income tax credits," she said.

Haney has experience at landing grants for the city. She successfully applied for a $12,000 Branch Out Missouri Grant for planting trees in Circle Park.

"The council's main concern was the funding. And since I've shown them how we can get the grant without taking large amounts of money out of the budget, I think I can turn them around," Haney said.

Haney said she also has the support of more than 200 Chaffee residents who have signed a petition.