Mineola requests $426,000 in CDBG funds for fire-safety upgrades, lighting and signage; officials expect smaller award
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Summary
Village staff filed a $426,000 Community Development Block Grant application for a fire-protection system, pedestrian lighting, parking and wayfinding signs; officials said HUDeligibility changes and the 2020 census reduced qualifying block groups and likely award amounts.
At a second hearing Wednesday, Mineola staff presented the villageCommunity Development Block Grant (CDBG) request for the 50th-year allocation and described how changes from the 2020 Census and HUD eligibility rules affect funding.
Mr. Savino told the board the village filed a total request of $426,000: $120,000 for an upgraded fire-safety protection system at the Village Hall Community Center facility; $250,000 for pedestrian-scale street lighting in newly eligible areas (including parts of Jericho Turnpike east of Rosalind Road, Marcellus and Garfield around Memorial Park) and $56,000 for coordinated municipal parking-field signs and wayfinding to complement anticipated New York Forward downtown improvements. "The total request here is $426,000. That's what we filed," he said.
Savino said HUDraised the qualifying percentage used to determine CDBG-eligible block groups, and material boundary changes from the 2020 Census resulted in the loss of three previously qualified block groups in Nassau County. As a result, he said the village expects a lower award than the full request and estimated an award "probably in the neighborhood of $250 to $300,000; last time we did get $300,000." He added the county typically notifies award amounts in September or October.
Village staff also noted that Mineola still has unspent CDBG funds from the previous (fiftieth) year. Mr. Savino said the remaining balance from that program year is $300,643, and that money is already earmarked to projects including the fire department station kitchen (about $80,000), residential rehabilitation projects, parking-field expenses, wayfinding signs and curb/pedestrian lighting. He said prior-year funds and new awards can overlap because CDBG projects carry multi-year contract periods; prior-year funds typically must be spent within the program's time limits (Savino said contracts generally run about five years).
Trustees asked about sign designs, procurement and compatibility with New York Forward. Savino said the village would coordinate sign design with the New York Forward downtown improvements and pursue a competitive bidding process, including a three-year contract for sign and facade work so that qualified vendors can be retained under repeated procurements.
The board closed the community development funding hearing on a motion by Trustee Casado, seconded by Deputy Mayor Debbie Sartore; the motion carried.