The Village of Depew held a public hearing Oct. 14 to collect community suggestions for projects to fund with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) dollars on both the Lancaster and Cheektowaga sides of the village. The board said the village typically receives about $100,000 annually; roughly half has supported the senior center and its van driver while the other half has funded sidewalk and small infrastructure projects.

Proposed projects discussed at the hearing: on the Lancaster side, village staff proposed replacing aging play equipment at the small playground on Saint James Street (the existing equipment is roughly 35 years old), installing a poured‑in‑place safety surface, replacing fencing and adding benches, bike racks, picnic tables and waste receptacles, and refurbishing the gazebo; the DPW would contribute in‑kind labor as the local match. On the Cheektowaga side, staff said they intend to apply for sidewalks in neighborhoods near Fireman’s Park, Airview Terrace, Howard and Lee streets where residents expressed winter walking safety concerns; staff also noted some areas now qualify as low‑to‑moderate income and are therefore eligible.

Timeline and next steps: Staff said the application will be prepared this week and submitted by the Nov. 3 deadline for the Lancaster portion; a separate Oct. 29 deadline was mentioned for the Cheektowaga submissions. The board opened the hearing at 7:34 p.m., received comments and closed it at 7:39 p.m.

Why it matters: CDBG funds are one of the village’s recurring sources for small infrastructure, accessibility and senior services projects. Identifying projects and committing required local match (often in‑kind DPW work) is a step required before filing the application.

Ending: The board instructed staff and grant writers to prepare the application and will return with final project descriptions and match documentation before submission.