JACKSON WILL TRY AGAIN FOR BLOCK GRANT

JACKSON -- The city of Jackson will try a second time to fund a Missouri Community Development Block Grant application to pay for the upgrade of 60 sub-standard houses in the north-central part of town, plus the extension of North Hope Street to Hickory Street in the same neighborhood.

The board of aldermen voted Tuesday, 8-0, to approve a resolution to seek the $670,000 grant. If it is funded, the city will contribute another $68,289 in cash, plus $31,200 of in-kind services toward the grant program.

The same basic plan was submitted in a 1992 grant application, which was not funded by the state.

Kathy Mangels of the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission in Perryville explained details of Jackson's 1994 Community Development Block Grant application during a public hearing held prior to the regular meeting of the board of aldermen.

The meeting was moved from Monday because of the President's Day holiday.

The commission is assisting the city in the preparation of its grant application.

The area of the grant application is bounded by North Hope Street to the west, Florence Street to the south, Eastview Court to the east and Short Street to the north.

If the application is funded, it will be for a two-year period, Mangels explained. She said, "During the first year of the grant, $130,000 in grant money will be used for the construction of the Hope Street extension. The city of Jackson will provide $8,000 in cash for the purchase of the right-of-way, $20,789 for engineering design of the new street, and another $3,500 for legal services associated with the street. The city will also provide $8,400 of in-kind services for engineering inspection.

"In addition, during the first year of the grant, $270,000 in grant money will be used to rehabilitate 30 existing homes, at a cost of no more than $9,000 per house. The city will provide $11,400 of in-kind housing inspection services, plus $17,000 in cash for the cost of administering the project, and $1,000 in cash for the audit of the grant program."

Mangels said the total amount of money spent during the first year will be $470,089.

She said the second year of the grant will include $270,000 in grant money for the rehabilitation of another 30 sub-standard, existing homes, not to exceed $9,000 each. The city will again provide $11,400 in cash for in-kind housing inspection services, plus cash contributions of $17,000 for administration of the second year of the grant project, and $1,000 for the second year's audit of the project.

The total amount of money spent during the second year of the grant is $299,400, for a total of $769,489.

Removed from the 1994 grant application is the improvement of 2,400 feet of Greensferry Road, which was completed in 1993 by the city.

Mangels said there are 157 housing units within the block grant application zone. Of that number, 60 will be considered for rehabilitation, if the owner of the property meets low or moderate income guidelines.

Mangels said the extension of Hope Street will offer residents another way to get in and out of their neighborhood.

Building and Zoning Administrator Robbie Roberts reported 71 of the housing surveys that were mailed out have been returned. Roberts said, "We must have a total of 123 returned surveys to meet the 80 percent minimum response requirement. So far, we have received 71."

Roberts said follow-up letters will be mailed out either this week or next week, reminding those who have not returned their surveys to complete them and mail them in as soon as possible.

The names of Missouri cities whose grant applications have been funded will be announced in Jefferson City in June.

On another item of business, the board approved an ordinance to approve a contract with the Missouri Department of Conservation for the renovation of the Rotary Lake in the main city park. If the project is approved by the DOC, the work will include draining and deepening of the lake, restocking with young fish, and construction of an access ramp and fishing dock to make the lake accessible to the handicapped.