WARREN City to require grant applicants to attend information meeting

Two meetings will be held in early April for prospective applicants.
By AMANDA C. DAVIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- The city is changing its application process for doling out Community Development Block Grants and HOME money, both made available by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
David Robison, the city's director of community development and engineering, said agencies and individuals will no longer pick up an application packet and pore over it on their own.
It's now mandatory for applicants to attend one of two meetings offered by the community development department.
They'll be held at 2 p.m. April 3 and 9 a.m. April 5 in the conference room on the second floor of the city's CD building, 418 Main Ave. S.W.
Robison asks that he be given 48 hours' notice if participants need an interpreter for the hearing impaired or non-English speaking people.
For more information, call him at 841-2595. The TDD line is 841-2718.
The program: This is the 29th year for the CDBG program and the 12th for HOME, a housing investment partnership program.
Both are for the benefit of low- to moderate-income people, to prevent and eliminate slum and blighted neighborhoods.
The city estimates it will receive $1.6 million in CDBG money and $1 million for the Warren-Trumbull HOME Consortium program, of which the city will receive $600,000 and the county will get $400,000.
All Warren agencies, organizations and residents, especially those having low-to-moderate-income, are invited to review past projects and learn how to submit a proposal. Only those who attend one of the two meetings can receive an application.
The meetings will deal with regulations governing CDBG and HOME funds, how to become eligible and funding requirements and responsibilities.
The idea is to prevent individuals and businesses from spending a lot of time on a proposal that's ineligible and to dissuade those who aren't eligible from applying, Robison said.
The process gives applicants 12 weeks, or 84 days, to complete the application. Before the June 28 application deadline, a mandatory review by the CD department will be scheduled so applicants have the necessary documentation to apply.
Committee: Alex Bobersky, assistant director of the city's CD department, said a 12-person citizens review committee will be asked to decide funding in August, subject to city council's approval.
He said the committee will include six appointees from Mayor Hank Angelo, and six people chosen by members of council's CD committee -- Dan Polivka, D-at-large, chairman; Virginia Bufano, D-1st; and Doc Pugh, D-6th.
Robison says the committee should be aware of its commitment and members should attend all meetings, be familiar with both federal programs and be willing to review all the paperwork before the meetings.
Once all applications are received, each proposal will be graded as a first step in the committee's decision-making process. The committee will then be asked to review proposals to familiarize themselves with applications and generate questions.