Grant Money To Aid Cities On The Mend

By Dustin Kass, dustinKass@miconews.com

A bill recently signed into law that will provide $4 million annually for the construction or rehabilitation of badly needed infrastructure has already caught the eye of Osawatomie officials.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed Senate Bill 417 into law earlier this month, creating the Housing Development Grant Program. The program initially targets communities such as Osawatomie that suffered recent disasters, and the program expands eligibility to all rural cities in 2010.

“Affordable workforce housing is key in the recovery of communities impacted by disasters, as well as in the overall economic vitality of rural communities across the entire state,” said Sebelius in a press release.

Under the program, communities will need to demonstrate specific needs and identify developments to meet those needs. Preference will be given to workforce, elderly and special-needs housing.

City Manager Bret Glendening has already been investigating the newly established program, looking for projects in Osawatomie that may be eligible for a portion of the funding.

Glendening proposes submitting an application for the construction of infrastructure for Woodland Hills Estates, a five-building, 24-unit senior housing complex to be built at 17th Street and Parker Avenue. Glendening said the project would likely fall under the guidelines for the program given that the new complex will likely serve a portion of the 55 people over the age of 60 who were displaced by last summer’s flooding.

Extending sewer service to areas near the 100 acres of land near Osawatomie State Hospital that the city is currently proposing to annex is a second project Glendening hopes to submit an application for, though he’s unsure if that project would qualify. While the project would not provide sewer services to the residents in the annexation area, Glendening said the extension would make it easier and less costly for those residents to tie into the sewer system.

Glendening said he is also considering submitting an application to reconstruct the Asylum Bridge, which crosses the Marais des Cygnes River at First Street, though he admits the bridge’s placement on the National Register of Historic Places may complicate that effort.

“I think with the Northland (Project), it’s important to reestablish the connectivity to that area,” Glendening said.

To be eligible to receive a grant, a city or county must provide matching funds of at least 10 percent for construction or rehabilitation of infrastructure projects as defined in the bill, and at least 50 percent for any housing development, according to a press release. The bill would limit grant awards to $25,000 for single-family residential dwellings. Communities receiving grant money will be required to submit annual performance reports to the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation regarding the use of grant funds.

KHRC will schedule public hearings on the Housing Development Grant Program in the next few weeks. The application process will open around May 14 and close around June 15. Funding will be announced after July 1.

Anyone seeking more information on the program or application process can contact Fred Bentley, KHRC Rental Housing Director at (785) 296-3724.