Sykesville borough looking at potential CDBG projects

SYKESVILLE — Sykesville Borough Council president Michelle Yamrick read a letter to council concerning the CDBG grant application for fiscal year 2023 at Monday’s meeting.

The letter indicated that all CDBG — Community Development Block Grant — projects were to meet at least three statutory objectives, with 70 percent of the funds being used to benefit low- to moderate-income persons.

The three statutory objectives were listed as: benefiting low- to moderate-income individuals, with 51 percent or more of the people being considered primary beneficiaries of the project in a residential area qualifying as low- to moderate-income to fulfill the objective; activities that address slums or blight in an area basis or a spot basis; or meeting a particularly urgent community development need.

To meet this last objective, the activity must alleviate the existing condition. The grant need must certify that 1) It poses a serious threat to the health and welfare of the community, 2) The grant need must be of recent origin or recently became urgent or critical within the past 18 months, 3) Or the community is unable to finance the need on its own and other sources of funds are not available.

The grant application consists of completing the application form accompanied by a required narrative, income surveys and a tax parcel map. The narrative must be as detailed and complete as possible and should describe the project completely, including location, easements and rightof-ways and whether or not they have been acquired, who is expected to benefit from the project, and the approximate number of people who will be benefitting. The application is to include a description of the need of the problem, as well as its history and documentation. The application is to describe the effects of the projects on eliminating or reducing the problem.

Mayor Gail Cunningham asked if they borough would have to conduct income surveys again. Yamrick said the letter indicated that it would.

Yamrick asked the council if it wanted to do anything with the CDBG money. Cunningham said the borough meets the lowincome criteria.

Ron Morris asked if the condemned house the council talked about tearing down would qualify for the CDBG grant.

Yamrick read a list of accepted activities for the CDBG grant: water systems, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, housing rehabilitation, housing construction and reconstruction, public and community facilities, recreation facilities, public services, street and road improvements, parking facilities, historic preservation, removal of architectural barriers, solid waste facilities, code enforcement, economic development, acquisition relocation, clearance, disposition and utilities other than water and sewer.

Yamrick said the deadline for the application is May 19 by 4 p.m., and encouraged the other council members to be thinking of projects in the interim.