Grant Money Improves
City's Landscape, Tax Revenue
By ANNE HOLLIDAY
WESB/WBRR News Director
Sometimes it’s hard to see the impact grant money has on the City of Bradford, but Sara Andrews is trying to open people’s eyes to that impact.
During a hearing prior to Tuesday’s Bradford City Council meeting the executive director of the Office of Economic and Community Development said the city has received more than $5.3 million in federal HOME Program grants since 1992. The projects the money helped fund has realized $5.6 million in new assessed property values for the city.
Specifically, $633,000 in HOME investment leveraged the construction of 30 new homes in Colonial Heights, which added more than $2.1 million in new assessed property.
On Onofrio Street, $500,000 leveraged the construction of 13 new homes. Add that to the complete renovation of 15 homes and that’s $3.5 million in new property values.
“What an impact that had in that area,” she said.
Over the last 19 years the city has rehabilitated 134 homes.
“If we hadn’t rehabilitated them 10 - 15 years ago we would probably have them on the (demolition) list right now,” Andrews said.
To date, HOME funds combined with Community Development Block Grant money and Elm Street state funding have led to the rehabilitation of 27 homes in the Elm Street neighborhood.
In total, 220 homes throughout the city have been built or rehabilitated since 1992.
“I think that’s had a significant impact,” she said, adding she’s not sure where the city would be without the program.
“We’d certainly be looking at a lot of other properties demolished – and looking at the tax base this has created – We certainly would be looking at additional problems with the tax revenues if these homes at Colonial Heights and Onofrio Street weren’t either renovated or built. It’s been a great program for our community,” Andrews said.
During the council meeting, members authorized Andrews to file a new HOME grant application with the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
Andrews said based on current rehabilitation average and costs 17 or 18 homes may be rehabilitated with the money, if it’s approved.
She said they could also add a second targeted neighborhood for rehabilitation. Tentatively, that new neighborhood could include the area from Boylston Street to Miller Street and Bishop Street to Davis Street. This was originally considered because it adjoins the Elm Street Neighborhood project at Charlotte Avenue.
Mayor Tom Riel asked if, instead of targeting a neighborhood, they could target a street – like East Main or Congress.
Andrews said a problem with that is that the majority of properties in a targeted neighborhood have to be owner occupied, not rental properties, to be eligible for funding.
Addressing the problems on Congress, East Main and other areas of the city Andrews did say she’s “seeing some positive things with code enforcement” and maybe some issues can be addressed without grant money.
She said property owners in the Elm Street Neighborhood who “have not joined in" will be getting letters from code enforcement telling them what they have to do.
“They need a little kick in the you-know-where,” she said, adding that code enforcement officer Mike Cleveland and Elm Street Manager Lisa Keck have been walking through the neighborhood to try to get other people to fix up their properties.
On a related note, council accepted a quote of $5,480 from 6-V Excavation to demolish the dilapidated property at 117 East Main Street.
Before reading the resolution Riel said, “It gives me great pleasure to read this next one.”
WESB/WBRR News Director
Sometimes it’s hard to see the impact grant money has on the City of Bradford, but Sara Andrews is trying to open people’s eyes to that impact.
During a hearing prior to Tuesday’s Bradford City Council meeting the executive director of the Office of Economic and Community Development said the city has received more than $5.3 million in federal HOME Program grants since 1992. The projects the money helped fund has realized $5.6 million in new assessed property values for the city.
Specifically, $633,000 in HOME investment leveraged the construction of 30 new homes in Colonial Heights, which added more than $2.1 million in new assessed property.
On Onofrio Street, $500,000 leveraged the construction of 13 new homes. Add that to the complete renovation of 15 homes and that’s $3.5 million in new property values.
“What an impact that had in that area,” she said.
Over the last 19 years the city has rehabilitated 134 homes.
“If we hadn’t rehabilitated them 10 - 15 years ago we would probably have them on the (demolition) list right now,” Andrews said.
To date, HOME funds combined with Community Development Block Grant money and Elm Street state funding have led to the rehabilitation of 27 homes in the Elm Street neighborhood.
In total, 220 homes throughout the city have been built or rehabilitated since 1992.
“I think that’s had a significant impact,” she said, adding she’s not sure where the city would be without the program.
“We’d certainly be looking at a lot of other properties demolished – and looking at the tax base this has created – We certainly would be looking at additional problems with the tax revenues if these homes at Colonial Heights and Onofrio Street weren’t either renovated or built. It’s been a great program for our community,” Andrews said.
During the council meeting, members authorized Andrews to file a new HOME grant application with the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
Andrews said based on current rehabilitation average and costs 17 or 18 homes may be rehabilitated with the money, if it’s approved.
She said they could also add a second targeted neighborhood for rehabilitation. Tentatively, that new neighborhood could include the area from Boylston Street to Miller Street and Bishop Street to Davis Street. This was originally considered because it adjoins the Elm Street Neighborhood project at Charlotte Avenue.
Mayor Tom Riel asked if, instead of targeting a neighborhood, they could target a street – like East Main or Congress.
Andrews said a problem with that is that the majority of properties in a targeted neighborhood have to be owner occupied, not rental properties, to be eligible for funding.
Addressing the problems on Congress, East Main and other areas of the city Andrews did say she’s “seeing some positive things with code enforcement” and maybe some issues can be addressed without grant money.
She said property owners in the Elm Street Neighborhood who “have not joined in" will be getting letters from code enforcement telling them what they have to do.
“They need a little kick in the you-know-where,” she said, adding that code enforcement officer Mike Cleveland and Elm Street Manager Lisa Keck have been walking through the neighborhood to try to get other people to fix up their properties.
On a related note, council accepted a quote of $5,480 from 6-V Excavation to demolish the dilapidated property at 117 East Main Street.
Before reading the resolution Riel said, “It gives me great pleasure to read this next one.”
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