CDBG advisory panel hears 17 local funding pitches; subcommittee chosen for applicant reviews

The CDBG Citizens Advisory Committee of Prescott voted unanimously to accept minutes from its Jan. 15 meeting and to appoint a three-member subcommittee to review 2025 Community Development Block Grant applications, then heard presentations from 17 applicants requesting city CDBG funds.

The votes to accept the Jan. 15 minutes and to name the subcommittee were made by committee members and carried by verbal aye votes. Michael McGinnis, community development department staff, then opened the applicants’ presentations: “This is your presentation, CAC meeting where we get to hear from the applicants that are hoping for CDBG funds to help their programs or projects,” he said.

Why it matters: CDBG funds are federal dollars administered locally and must be allocated to projects that principally benefit low- and moderate-income residents. The committee’s subcommittee will produce recommendations for the full committee after reviewing applications and members’ scored ranking sheets.

Applicants and key points

- Wrapped in Love Diaper Bank (Lori Deutsch, executive director, applicant): Deutsch said the diaper bank distributed more than 9,000 baby/adult items and about 1,700 student hygiene items in a recent month and is seeking CDBG support to buy diapers, wipes, incontinence supplies and to help fund staff. She described the organization’s two warehouse storage model and its partnership network for distribution.

- People Who Care (Barry DeKemper, representative): DeKemper described volunteer-driven escorted transportation and low-vision services for older Prescott residents. He said Prescott residents received roughly 73% of the group’s services in 2024 and emphasized rising demand for escorted rides and low-vision rehabilitation.

- Yavapai Exploration in Science / Nature Niños (Amanda Voss, founder): Voss outlined a free outdoor family program for children 0–8 that partners with local nonprofits and University of Arizona Cooperative Extension for evaluation. Funds would buy supplies, provide snacks and support data analysis.

- United Way of Yavapai County (Gary Janchet, communications manager; David Siegler, executive director, provided details): United Way seeks funds for a Center for Organizational Excellence (COE) series of nonprofit governance and fiscal-responsibility workshops. Janchet said the series aims to reduce fraud risk and strengthen boards after recent local nonprofit malfeasance.

- NACOG (Art Askew, program specialist): Asked for $126,000 to subsidize occupational and vocational training (up to $3,000 per participant) for at least 30 low- and moderate-income Prescott residents to support healthcare, trades and other employer needs.

- City of Prescott Public Works (Randy Parham, Deputy Director and City Engineer): Parham presented design funding for the Dexter Neighborhood drainage project, requesting $100,000 toward design for improvements on the Merritt Street corridor to reduce recurring flooding; he said total construction could cost $1 million–$1.5 million and the city has set aside $100,000 to match.

- City of Prescott Parks & Recreation (Ellen Basher, park ranger): Basher requested funding to install an ADA-compliant restroom at the Community Nature Center to make the site the city’s first ADA-accessible trail + restroom destination. She said the city could handle much of the site work but sought roughly $3,000–$5,000 in purchase/installation support for the prefabricated unit and associated site materials.

- Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Arizona (Alex Heinemann, CEO): Requested funds to make safety repairs and upgrades to a shared playground (primary need: a safety fence; second priority: new play elements). Heinemann said roughly half the request would cover the fence to meet safety and membership requirements.

- The Center (Kathy McFadden, executive director): Requested $15,000 to buy 75 classroom-style tables and two carts to increase room capacity at the Rolly P. Simmons Community Center and support community rentals and programming. McFadden noted high facility use and that tables and chairs limit occupancy for events.

- Agape House of Prescott (Becky Mitchell, representative): Mitchell described interim housing, life-skills programming and a 9-unit transitional housing vision. She said Agape received a $5,000 grant for HVAC and is now requesting about $19,000 for remaining HVAC, a storage shed, whole-house surge protectors and mold remediation/monitoring.

- Aloha Gardens (Kristen Kingsbury, owner/operator): Kingsbury described purchasing and stabilizing a mobile-home park, replacing antiquated units, subsidizing tenants when needed and seeking funds to accelerate property upgrades and add on-site supportive services.

- Launchpad Team Center (representative identified as Courtney): Asked for pavement repair to eliminate a dirt stretch and potholes that pose safety and accessibility problems for volunteers and youth; the large bid was $30,605 with a smaller temporary repair quote around $6,000.

- NASSCARE (Cassandra, representative): Requested replacement of an aging tile roof with a metal roof (contractor estimate higher than shingle bids) and improvements to on-site drainage that currently channels runoff from White Spars Road onto the property; applicant also requested basement water-damage repairs and mold remediation.

- Prescott Community Covered Food Bank (Bud Heiman, board chair; Joe Jenkins, treasurer): Requested $25,000 for an interior remodel to improve people-flow, create shopping-style dignity choices and expand cooler and client shelter capacity. Heiman said the food bank distributed about 550,000 pounds of food last year and served roughly 43,000 people.

- Prescott Meals on Wheels (Neil Sneller, executive director): Asked for equipment to improve kitchen production (a large steam kettle) so staff can produce higher-volume, nutrient-dense soups and broths; Sneller said the program serves roughly 175 daily homebound residents and about 63,500 Prescott meals annually.

- Pronghorn Services (Gerald Stasco, representative): Presented an acquisition/development concept for workforce housing (Baja Bungalows model used in Prescott Valley) and said CDBG acquisition or infrastructure funds could accelerate a local essential-worker rental project; he emphasized speed and leveraging private capital.

What committee members noted

Committee members asked for clarifications about budgets, matching funds, geographic reach and whether projects serve predominantly Prescott residents. Staff reminded members that CDBG funds must principally benefit low- and moderate-income Prescott residents and that for-profit applicants may be eligible if the activity meets that federal test. Several presenters noted partnerships, matching sources and plans to continue fundraising if a CDBG award is partial.

Next steps and procedure

Michael McGinnis asked members to return scored ranking sheets by Friday (staff location: Old City Hall community development desk) so the three-person subcommittee (Mary Ann Settles, Janie Evans and Jim Howe) can meet in March to consolidate recommendations for the full committee. The subcommittee meeting is a public meeting and members of the full committee are encouraged to attend.

Ending note

Committee members and staff repeatedly emphasized demand far exceeds available CDBG funds and encouraged applicants to document Prescott residency and low/mod income benefit in their materials; staff will assemble members’ comments and scoring for the subcommittee to use in March.