I will rank these from 5 (worst performing) to number 1 (the best performing)
5) Although Beacon NRSA has spent 301,436 of the 313,661 that it has been allocated, where has it been invested. There has been one storefronts completed listed at 927 Main Street with Mains South CDC as the owner and there is one application pending for the Hadley Apartments.
The only Housing Rehabilitation/Blight control has been on properties owned by Main South CDC (93 Grand Street, pre-development costs for a future 46 unit housing project) and the abutting property (95 Grand Street) controlled by EONS for clean-ups. As far as I can tell by this report, pretty much all of the 301,436 was invested back into properties owned by the Main South CDC.
4) South Worcester NRSA has spent only 46,470 of the 285,686 that has been allocated to them. Not one facade facade and only two housing projects have been completed leaving a balance of 239,216 not invested.
3) Grafton Hill NRSA has spent 87,275 of the 245,200 that it has been allocated. Not one facade has been completed, but 7 housing projects have been done.
2) Lincoln Street NRSA has spent 146,096 of the 285,000, leaving a balance of 138,903. They completed one facade and 7 housing projects.
1) Chandler NRSA. We have spent 251,860 of the 326,000 that has been allocated. Although 74,139 remains, we have it all earmarked for projects over the next month or two.
- Completed 6 facade projects not 3. Chandler NRSA has completed more facade projects then the other four NRSA's combined.
- There are 3 pending facade projects not 2
- We have installed 5 video monitoring systems on 5 privately owned businesses (not listed)
- 5 housing projects have been completed, 5 (not 1) in progress and 18 pending
- 23 neighborhood residents trained at MLK
- Summer Youth programs the past three years to clean up the area
- 6 benches and 12 planters
I would personally like to thank Councilor Rosen for getting us this report in a timely fashion. This should be a monthly report and there needs to be a better break-out of how the monies are spent to effectively judge how each NRSA is performing. Obviously I am biased, but numbers do not lie.
3 comments:
Bill
why not be bias... it was stated at our get together that the council wanted the community involved.. guess what "WE DID" and got a lot done.. our thanks.. not funded for the third year and a lot "will get back to you" on things we want to get done.. How was Summerville...they have any ideas... looking forward to our next meeting get our budget ready and see if they fund us... Did not read the report completely but did not see any "thanks" to the CBA for their efforts...To bad...
clear that many of the things we wanted to do are being done in Somerville and they backed it up...festivals, banners, promotion, farmers markets..even bought tents for the farmers market..quarterly financial reports required and a list of things to be done need to be done..they are not sitting on the money like many of our NRSA's are...and the money is not sitting with one group for their sole disposal..it is for the community at large....they have teamed up with the local arts council...lots of partnering.
one thing we were told...the NRSA program is meant to be flexible...the two we sat with were very knowledgable about the program....no, "we will get back to you stuff"...one came from Chicago and had experience in urban renewal..one was just in WooTown last week for dinnah and enjoyed herself:>).....definitely non-partisan people....
I applied for some housing money to redo the roof and put up siding on Southgate Street. My application was rejects since it was not owner occupied.
All things being equal, I agree that owner-occupants should get preference but when you consider how much money that they are sitting on and the high percentage of non-owner occupied houses in South Worcester? Please note that the South Worcester NRSA is the only NRSA that required owner occupancy to receive any NRSA monies for home improvements.
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