Virginia awarded $10.7 million for housing, infrastructure projects


George Polly - Gov. Mark Warner - Ruthie Buckles - Bobby Lane
Photo by Zetta Souder, LENOWISCO

By STAFF REPORT - KINGSPORT TIMES NEWS
Published Thursday, June 9, 2005

http://www.timesnews.net/article.dna?_StoryID=3511420

A water extension project in Scott County and home rehabilitation in the Southern section of Big Stone Gap are among $10.7 million in Community Development Block Grant offers to 18 communities across Virginia announced Wednesday by Gov. Mark R. Warner.

The governor's list includes letters of intent of $646,272 for the Hurley Medical Clinic in Buchanan County and $700,000 for the Meadowview Health Clinic in Washington County. Letters of intent are issued for projects worthy of funding but lack a key component necessary for immediate project implementation.

Warner said the grants will serve more than 4,600 Virginians by eliminating substandard housing and providing public water and sewer systems. The majority of those served by the grants are low- to moderate-income residents as required by federal law.

Fourteen of the 18 approved projects will create new or rehabilitate housing to ensure safe and affordable housing options for approximately 440 low- to moderate-income households. Those projects include $600,000 to Big Stone Gap for the Southern Neighborhood Project.

Scott County's Natural Tunnel water extension project will receive $608,000. Other projects in Southwest Virginia receiving CDBG funds are $500,000 for the Big Creek housing rehabilitation project in Richlands, more than $1 million for a regional sewer system in Pocahontas, and $500,000 for a housing project in Lebanon.

Virginia receives up to $22 million annually from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the CDBG program. The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (VDHCD) administers the funds for the state and allocates the funds on a competitive basis to eligible non-metropolitan cities, counties and towns.

"A good, solid roof over your head and clean running water in the sink are not trivial needs, and this is not a trivial program," said Warner. "The CDBG program brings real results to real people. For distressed communities and families facing extreme poverty, the program offers a chance for a better life."

Warner announced the grants at the Mizpah Presbyterian Church in South Boston. A destination along the Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail, the church is the center of the Church Hill community, which is slated to receive $1.2 million to rehabilitate 20 homes, revitalize business and make other community improvements.

"Our agency is committed to working in the neediest areas of Virginia to eliminate substandard housing and improve the overall quality of life," said VDHCD Director Bill Shelton.