06/13/1983 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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further, Mr. Byrne said that the plan would focus on rehabilitation rather than e new construction, although new construction to serve the elderly or disabled would be eligible. Mr. Byrne said that he did not have figures on how the formulas differed from previous plans. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. Mr. Byrne then discussed the COBG Jobs Bill application. He noted that Congress had provided these funds with a number of stringent conditions, including standard COBG regulations and a strict timeline. Mr. Byrne said that under these regulations the funds were available primarily for community development activities, not for direct provision of employment. He said that the City's application had to be received by the HUO office in Portland by July 1, 1983, and noted that this had resulted in considerable change and reduction in time of the processes usually followed by the City in developing its standard COBG application. Mr. Byrne added that the City's relations with the HUD staff were improving and that the City staff did not want to trespass on this by putting forth projects of questionable eligibility. Mr. Byrne said that the Jobs Bill regulations also called for extremely quick implementation, with quarterly rather than annual progress reports to HUD. He said that, for all these reasons, staff was recommending that the funds be allocated to programs that had already been publicly reviewed and approved, as well as to programs with low administra- tive costs. He noted that the Community Development Committee (CDC) had formed a subcommittee in April 1983 to develop the application for Jobs Bill funds, that the regulations on fund expenditures had been received in May, and that the CDC had held a public hearing on the subcommittee recommendations on June 9. He said that the CDC had agreed to pass the subcommittee recommendation on to the e council without changes. Mr. Byrne reviewed the recommended plan, which included funding of $600,000 for improvements to Roosevelt Boulevard in the Four Corners area, $70,000 for a shelter facility support fund, and $45,000 (6.3 percent) for administrative costs. He noted there was a possibility that HUD would rule the shelter support funds ineligible, in which case the recommendation was to channel the funds through the Joint Social Services allocation process. Mr. Byrne said that in response to considerable testimony at the June 9 COC meeting, CDC members had asked staff to meet with citizens who had proposals for use of the funds to review these proposals. He noted that this had been done and that citizens were present to testify to the council regarding these proposals. Councilor Wooten asked for more information on the Roosevelt Boulevard project and its relation to the Central Industrial Area study. Mr. Byrne responded that Roosevelt Boulevard was the northern boundary of the Central Industrial Area and that there was a possibility of connecting Roosevelt with the Chambers Connector. He said the project would improve access to vacant or underdeveloped industrial properties in the Four Corners area and would therefore support the goals of the City's adopted Six-Point Economic Diversification Program. Mr. Byrne noted that the project had been included in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) but that funds were not available for implementation. He said that if the council approved the use of Jobs Bill funds for Roosevelt Boulevard, bid advertisements would be made on July 1 with construction completed by November. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 13, 1983 Page 2