Residents lobby for community development funds

Long Beach resident Louise Graham, who works with Project Excellence, a local non-profit organization that provides after-school programs to young people, said that regular funding is essential to maintain what she called a vital program.

The organization, housed at the Christian Light Baptist Church on Park Place, is in need of an elevator to allow access to handicapped residents and students.

“We are in desperate need of an elevator, and if there’s any grant money that can be allotted, please consider us so that we can get moving on the project,” Graham told the Long Beach City Council at its March 15 meeting. “We have to be able to accommodate everybody: the handicapped, the elderly and everybody in the community. Even some of our volunteer teachers who are in wheelchairs would like to be a part of this.”

Graham was one of many Long Beach residents who lobbied for community development funding just before the council passed a resolution authorizing the city to reapply for federal dollars next year from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant program.

The city has been participating in the program since 1974, which allows communities to fund non-profit agencies, improve infrastructure to reduce blight and provide financial assistance to low-income residents.

But as the federal government works to reduce the deficit and cut spending, funding for the CDBG program is at risk. The city expects to receive a reduction in funding next year, as Congress plans to slash a large percentage of the program.

The funds are administered to the city through Nassau County. For the current funding year, which runs from Sept. 1 through August 30, Long Beach received $808,000. During the next funding year, however, Theofan said the city is expecting a 7 percent cut for a total of $750,000. While Theofan said that the city would ask for more money this year — $917,000 — he said he did not expect the funding to be restored to its current level.

Funds aimed at improving communities

According to HUD, no less than 70 percent of the funds must be used for activities that benefit low- and moderate-income persons over a period specified by the state, not to exceed 3 years.

Theofan said that 20 percent of the funds are earmarked for the administrative salaries of two employees who administer the program and for office expenses, while 15 percent is allotted to public service agencies such as the police and fire departments.

The remainder is divided among community groups and for initiatives such as public facilities improvements — including boardwalk and park projects — funding that would include a new comfort station and bathroom slated for Georgia Avenue, Theofan said.

But because of the cuts, many asked that the funding earmarked for the police and fire departments instead be given to community groups such as Project Excellence and the Martin Luther King Center. Saying that these agencies will feel the impact next year, Nassau County Legislator Denise Ford (R-Long Beach) asked that more money be allocated to support those organizations.

“I love the police and fire departments, I love our lifeguards,” Ford said. “But I feel that they do have other opportunities to get grants.”

Ford also requested a specific breakdown of how the city plans to allocate the funds, and while she noted the new bathroom slated for Georgia Avenue, she said other parts of the city, including the West End and North Park area, are “crying out for some attention.”

City Council President Tom Sofield asked if Ford could advocate for more money at the county level, since the county is responsible for dividing the money among municipalities.

“We see our money constantly going down year after year, and you as the county legislator are in the best position to fight for us to get more money,” Sofield said.

Ford said she does fight and said that it’s the city’s responsibility to follow up with applications. Noting the “great” working relationship that she has with the city, Ford asked that city officials “not follow past practices” and ensure that all the information is sent to the county.

“In order for me to be able to fight for something, I need to know how the money is going to be spent,” she said.

Residents call for a fair share

East Market Street resident Crystal Lake said that planned renovations to the basketball court on Riverside Drive have been in limbo, and asked that the city use community development funds to construct more entrances and exits, add bike racks, greenery and a portable bathroom.

“I’m hoping this park will be absolutely fabulous for our children and seniors,” Lake said. “Our children deserve better.”

Theofan said that an overhaul of the park is in the works. “I do predict that at the end of the day you will be happy with it,” he told Lake.

Resident Cecil Garrett said that the North Park area has been overlooked, while other parts of the city have seen a renaissance.

“We’ve seen the progress on Park Avenue, the new businesses and a new hotel,” he said. “All of these things are adding to the aesthetic of our city, the appeal of our city. North Park is part of the city also.”

Councilman Mike Fagen asked whether there was a specific time when community groups learn that they are going to receive money. Theofan said there was not, and added that it was important for organizations to include all the necessary information on an application in the hopes of securing funding.

Theofan said that the information about groups that have received funding is maintained by the city’s community development office and may be obtained through a Freedom of Information request. Fagen asked that the information be made readily available. “It would be helpful to the whole community to know who is receiving community development funding,” he said.

Resident James Hutchinson said that as a young man, organizations such as the MLK Center helped turn his life around. “There are a lot of kids out there that are going down the same street that I went down,” Hutchinson said. “I know the MLK doesn’t have the funds to pay a person like me or someone to come from the outside, therefore I have to volunteer my time.”

Sofield said that the money is used to help non-profit groups, and he encouraged Hutchinson to apply for funding on behalf of a specific organization. “I helped get Project Excellence off the ground and I’d be happy if you want me to help you,” Sofield said.

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