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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-01-26 - PH O �.V PJ V I L Public Hearing Town Board of the Town of Ulysses and Trumansburg Village Board of Trustees January 26 , 1995 A Public Hearing was held on January 26 , 1995 in the Main Meeting Room , 56 East Main Street , Trumansburg , New York . The Town of Ulysses jointly with the Village of Trumansburg , are considering the submission of a joint Small Cities application involving a series of water improvements involving both jurisdictions . PRESENT : Town of Ulysses Board : Supervisor Doug Austic . • Councilpersons : Ben Curtis , Tom Reitz , Catherine Stover . Bob Weatherby absent . Village Board Members : Mayor Tom Bennett . Trustees : Don Fairchild , Jackie Merwin , Barbara Page . Trustee Griswold excused . Tompkins County Planning Board : Karl Heck , Jim Hanson CITIZENS : Stacey Young - Reporter Free Press , Peter Meskill , Ian Merwin , Alex Rachun , Marty Petrovic , Marsha Georgia , Peter Demjanec . RECORDING MINUTES : Sharon Housworth , Clerk Treasurer Supervisor Austic open the public hearing at 7 : 30 . Supervisor Austic stated the intent of the public hearing is to discuss the HUD grant process . Supervisor Austic invited Karl Heck from the Tompkins County Planning Department to address the public . Karl stated he is here to discuss the grant application , • eligible activities and monies available : The 1995 Small Cities Program , as administered by the Buffalo Area Office , has a total projected funding of $ 51 , 114 , 000 . Maximum funding levels have been established as follows : comprehensive applicants can apply for $ 900 , 000 per year grants ; other grants are limited to multiples of $ 400 , 000 per year for Single Purpose grants or $ 600 , 000 per year for jointly submitted Single Purpose grants . Single Purpose grants may provide funds for one or more projects , each consisting of an activity or a set of activities designed to meet a specific community development need . Funds are available to address serious problems with housing and public facilities which affect the public health and safety , or economic development . Projects are rated and scored against each of the following factors : Need - absolute number of poverty persons - 75 ; Need - percent of poverty persons - 75 ; program impact - 400 . Outstanding performance in : fair housing - 40 ; local equal opportunity efforts - 25 . Maximum total - 615 . • ( 3 2 Public Hearing — January 26 . 1995 Town Board of the Town of Ulysses and Trumansburg Village Board of Trustees To receive the highest program impact rating , a public facility project must : ( 1 ) address a need that is serious ( 2 ) benefit a large number of persons ( 3 ) resolve the identified problem completely ( 4 ) have no other obstacles to program implementation . The primary objective of the Community Development Program is the development of viable urban communities , including decent housing and a suitable living environment and expanding economic opportunities , principally for persons of low and moderate income . There is a provision that activities which are in themselves eligible , must also meet other HUD restrictions . Most particularly , activities must comply with requirements regarding benefit to low and moderate income persons ; the threshold requirement that every program benefit a minimum of 70 percent low income persons ; activities must fully address HUD rating criteria . Karl stated Ulysses has never been an applicant for a HUD grant : Councilperson Reitz stated the Town applied in 1986 / 1987 : Karl stated the Town was not a grantee ; they did not receive the grant , therefore it does not count . Supervisor Austic opened the meeting co the floor for questions . Trustee Merwin asked Karl to address the HUD focus on low income criteria ; or job producing . Karl answered there are rules for the grant ; HUD requires 51 % of the funds must be used to support the national objective ; which provides an opportunity for low to moderate income people ; either through job creation for those people in thy; case of economic development program or support of an actual housing condition ; you can meet it either through job creation or job retention ; that jobs are considered to be available to low income people or low income people fill those positions . Karl stated this application is a little bit of both ; what you are proposing ; it meets the national objective . Trustee Merwin asked if there is accountability for jobs going to low income people . Karl answered yes there is ; it is reported through a survey mechanism ; individuals fill out a survey form when they are hired ; the businesses do not have to verify the information that is filled out . Karl continued : the project the Town and Village are applying for don ' t have to support both ; your proposal happens to have both ; you can have one or the other ; you can be supporting housing or public facilities that helps low to moderate income people ; or you • Public Hearing - January 26 , 1995 3 Town Board of the Town of Ulysses and Trumansburg Village Board of Trustees can create jobs which go to that population . Trustee Page asked about the poverty level . Karl answered poverty is used as one of the criteria ; applications are rated on the scale of 100 - 400 ; 400 is the highest ; if you get a 400 , you w ill not get . funding ; Karl stated the percentage in Ulysses is fairly low ; your number will probably be average or slightly above average for the competition ; using both the Town and Village there are approximately 6000 people ; which is large compared to others places . Coucilperson Curtis asked if there is any waiting on the HUD money for the nature of the job . Karl answered HUD does not have rules like that ; HUD looks at employment . Trustee Merwin asked if this is the same " pot of money " that the City is applying for under the Community Block Development Grant ; Karl answered yes , but you won ' t be competing with the City o f Ithaca . Karl continued that 85 % of the money will go for single purpose application ; 15 % will go to comprehensive purposes ; the City is always in the comprehensive category ; they compete separately . Karl continued that HUD is offering for the first time a multi - year application for up , to three years ; the City will be applying for a multi - year project . Councilperson Curtis asked Karl where we may come under the poverty point level . Karl answered between 28 - 40 ; points go from 1 - 75 ; 75 being the highest you can get ; not many communities are at the high end . Councilperson Curtis asked how the poverty points are based . Karl answered points are based on the census ; it would be the Town ' s census which includes the Village ; it is not just the district you are talking about for water ; it would include all of the Town and Village . Trustee Page asked if the $ 600 , 000 that both municipalities are applying for as a joint effort , if the Village could add another $ 300 , 000 on to that for the Village downtown improvement . Karl answered a comprehensive grant requires multiple activity either housing or economic development in a very concentrated area ; you don ' t want to scatter projects in different areas , as it would n ot score well as comprehensive . Trustee Page asked how likely is it when you apply for a $ 600 , 000 grant when you share it between two municipalities , to get the full $ 600 , 000 . Karl answered it is a " all or nothing " ; you 4 Public Hearing — January 26 , 1995 Town Board of the Town of Ulysses and Trumansburg Village Board of Trustees either receive all of $ 600 , 000 or nothing ; it is not split up : in a comprehensive grant , they can throw out one . it they think it is not good . Councilperson Reitz asked how the applications are reviewed . Karl answered HUD in Buffalo has a group of specialist in each of the major categories who rate the applications ; last year they bought in some people from Washington to meet with the people in Buffalo ; it is all HUD people who review the applications . It • takes approximately 75 days to review the applications which makes it about May 10th when they should be done . Trustee Merwln asked who is writing the grant . Karl : the Tompkins County Planning Department has a consultant , Dave Carlson , w ho writes grants . Trustee Heroin asked if Karl knows what will be put in the grant . Karl stated it is too early ; a lot of it will come from the engineers ' report . Mr . Hanson stated there are two hearings ; one for the HUD prcccdure ; the second hearing will address the questions you have asked and as Doug mentioned the engineers report will be a part of that application and we will go over the whole thing through the hearing process . Councilperson Curtis stated he is still unclear as to the process of the grant and what is - ncluded is the grant ; is that a decision you make . Karl ; in consultation with everybody here ; o bviously you have selected an interest in a specific project ; we don ' t pick that project for you ; what it takes to get there , is something else ; a big part of that is going to be told to us by the e ngineers ' report . Councilperson Curtis asked when the application has to be filed . Karl : February 21st . Councilperson Curtis asked in regards to Trustee Page ' s questions — why can ' t there be a component for some kind of downtown revitalization in Trumansburg ; as you mentioned ( Karl ) being widespread as opposed to focus ; the City of Ithaca has a Cherry Park employer as their economic component ; and they have ✓ arious housing components spread over the southside . We are looking at a water district to the north and to the south ; housing component to the north ; why is this different ( from the City ) . Karl answered : there is e housing component , but basically the w ater is one project ; it is one activity ; an economic development activity , which does not necessarily have to be in the same area but needs to be related to the other project ; the Ithaca project has employers , they have housing , : hey might have water and sewer ; there are usually three or four activities related to a comprehensive grant for it to compete well . /6 Public Hearing - January 26 , 1995 5 Town Board of the Town of Ulysses and Trumansburg Village Board of Trustees Karl continued : to have a joint activity for $ 600 , 000 and one activity for $ 300 , 000 does not make it a comprehensive grant ; it w ould not compete well . The Village could do a downtown development on their own as a separate activity . You would need specific employers to be tied into this program that would borrow the money to create jobs . Supervisor Austic stated the Village w ould probably not have time to do this in a couple of weeks . • Trustee . Page had a question regarding the community development plan that Councilperson Curtis was referring to ; in the grant application , you need a community development plan especially because the Town does not have a master plan . However , at this point the Town and Village have made resolutions on this , and what e ffect if to say one municipally or the other did not agree or didn ' t ratify this community development plan : what effect would it have on the grant . Karl answered : it is a grant requirement not an application requirement ; if you got the grant , it is a HUD requirement to what extent you do that ; you can have something fairly generic : you don ' t have to have something that specific . Trustee Page asked w hat happens if you have a memorandum of understanding and one group or the other didn ' t approve it , what effect would it have on the grant . Karl answered : that it would be something else . like a change in the conditions , like the water plan . The plan needs some kind of documentation on paper as to what it is ; it can be a ✓ ery generic document : but if something changes like the basis of reallocation , that would be something else : such as the source of the water ; if you had no source of water , that would be a major change in the application . Part of the application has to have a feasible activity and that it can be done . Councilperson Stover stated we are under a real time constraint , if the engineers ' report comes in when it is suppose to , do you feel confident that it can be ready by February 21st . Karl answered yes , it should not be a problem . Supervisor Austic reported that Alex has been working on business surveys in the area ; and this weekend they will be doing economic income information at Auble ' s Trailer Park and other areas which will be specifically affected by this water district . Councilperson Curtis asked Karl if we can ' t come up with a community development plan , will the planning board come up with one ; Karl answered yes . Supervisor Austic stated we have one , it is on his desk and it should be acceptable . Ian Merwin stated he has three questions : ( 1 ) is this money already appropriated and sitting there ; or is there a chance it ( (I 6 Public Hearing - January 26 , 1995 Town Board of the Town of Ulysses and Trumansburg Village Board of Trustees might be taken back with budget cuts . Karl answered it is appropriated and has been published in the Federal Registrar . Ian ' s second questions : what is the percentage of success for people who write grants and receive them . Karl answered : last year there were about 158 applicants and 88 were funded . Ian ' s third questions : Are there quotas from one county to another ; it is a " state wide free for all competition " . • Karl answered it is an open competition through out the state ; last year there were six Tompkins County applications and all were funded . Councilperson Curtis asked if an environmental review will have to been done . Karl answered if you receive the grant , you have to go through a Federal SEAR ( NEPA - National Environmental Protection Agency ) : there is a 32 day comment period . Supervisor Austic asked if there were any more questions or comments . Having no further questions , Supervisor Austic closed the public hearing at 8 : 10 p . m . and thanked everyone for attending . Sincerely , Sharon Housworth Clerk Treasurer . • TOWN OF ULYSSES SPECIAL BOARD MEETING January 26 , 1995 P resent : Supervisor Doug Austic ; Councilpeople Catherine Stover , Tom Reitz , Ben Curtis ; Town Clerk Marsha Georgia ; Architectural Consultant Peter Demjanec . S upervisor Austic opened the Special Board Meeting of the Town of U lysses at 8 : 15pm . G rant plans and application were reviewed and discussed by the B oard . Mr . Reitz commended the work and time commitment of Mrs . G eorgia , Mrs . Mount and Peter Demjanec . Mr . Reitz moved , seconded by Mrs . Stover the following : • WHEREAS : the Records Advisory Board has identified a need for an appropriate Records Storage Room , and WHEREAS : the Records Advisory Board has prepared specification and a SARA Grant Application for construction of a Records Storage Room , BE IT RESOLVED : that the Town Board of the Town of Ulysses authorizes the Town Supervisor to sign the SARA Grant application . Mr . Austic Aye Mr . Reitz Aye Mrs . Stover Aye Mr . Curtis Aye Adopted . The Board discussed the purchase of the land , the needs of the Town Hall and possible solutions . Mr . Curtis moved , seconded by Mrs . Stover the following : WHEREAS : the Town Board of the Town of Ulysses recognizes the continuing need of additional space in the Town Hall , as reflected in the lack of sufficient office space and space to hold meetings , THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED : that the Town Board commits in principal to explore constructive alternatives to meet its current and future building needs . Mr . Austic Aye Mr . Reitz Aye Mrs . Stover Aye Mr . Curtis Aye Adopted . Hearing no further business the Special Board Meeting was adjourned at 9 : 20pm . Respectfully submitted , Marsha L . Georgia Town Clerk pm