The contracts list for the Dec. 19 City Commission meeting include $19,937 for the YWCA to seal and replace the asbestos flooring located in the second floor, which houses the emergency housing shelter.

The funding is part of the city’s Community Development Block Grant program and the funding recipients were approved in June.

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The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development declined to fund $27,927 for Paris Gibson Square to make a restroom handicapped accessible. That decision was related to conflict of interest issues with Commissioner Tracy Houck, who also serves as executive director of PGS.

City staff proposing major changes to CDBG process; HUD looking at additional potential conflicts

That funding has stayed with the city to be allocated to another potential local program. Craig Raymond, city planning director, said the city is planning to hold those funds to for next year’s grant process versus doing a third round of grant reviews this year.

The city is also holding over $86,177 that was awarded to Opportunities Inc. for replacing the roof at the Head Start prenatal to 5 annex building. Raymond said they declined the CDBG grant since they got funding from another source.

Other CDBG funds have been allocated already to the groups that were selected and approved in June. Each of the contracts is publicly listed on the contract list of City Commission agenda packet for the meeting when it’s being considered. The packets are posted on the city website the Thursday before a commission meeting. More information on the CDBG program is available on the city website.

Here’s what’s been approved so far:

During the Dec. 5 commission meeting, the following contracts were approved:

• $20,877 to Quality of Life Concepts for sealing and replacing asbestos flooring of the South Park Group Home.
• $25,000 to Agency on Aging to purchase food for the Meals on Wheels program, a city-wide service of home delivery meal program for low/moderate income elderly who are handicapped or unable to prepare meals. 

During the Nov. 21 meeting, the following contracts were approved:

• $10,000 to Young Parents Education Center to provide day care scholarships for very low to low-income teen or young adult parents completing high school or GED programs;
• $40,000 to Great Falls Development Authority to expand the revolving loan fund to provide gap financing to existing and start-up businesses to create new jobs for persons from low to moderate income households;
• $14,978 to Great Falls Park and Recreation to install ADA compliant sidewalks to play structures at Rhodes Park and Elks Riverside Park;
• $29,177 to Great Falls Public Works to provide grants for assistance to low-income homeowners to remove and replace hazardous sidewalks within the City limits and to provide funding to replace existing intersections with ADA accessible ramps;
• $10,000 to Center for Mental Health to provide external repairs and paint to Passages Group Home located at 704 5th Ave. N.;
• $22,500 to Boys and Girls Club of Cascade County to provide scholarships for summer day camps for children from low-income families, programs located at Great Falls Housing Authority, 1722 Chowen Springs Loop, and the Boys and Girls Club, 600 1st Ave. SW.