MEETING SLATED FOR GRANT AREA

Property owners in a south-central area of Cape Girardeau will have an opportunity Monday to discuss with city officials a plan to rehabilitate up to 60 homes in their neighborhood during the next two years.

A public meeting of all the owners of property located in the College/Jefferson Neighborhood Restoration Project area will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall, city officials announced this week.

The four-block area has been targeted for low-income housing improvements through the state's Community Development Block Grant program. The state of Missouri in June approved the city's grant application for $800,000 over the next two years to rehabilitate 60 homes in the neighborhood.

Steve Williams, the city's housing assistance coordinator, said Wednesday that the meeting will be a good opportunity for property owners who might be eligible for renovation funds to learn more about the program.

"We're going to go over what they're going to need to bring in to apply for the grants," Williams said. "It's also a good way for them to get to know who we are and have an idea what we're looking for."

Williams said a key to the success of the community development block grant program is positive public relations with the property owners involved.

"We can't answer all their particular questions, but we're going to try to answer as many questions as we can and hopefully help them understand the program better," he added.

Becky Figliolo, project coordinator, said the College~/~ ~Jefferson Neighborhood Restoration Project is unique from past rehabilitation projects the city's done in that it will include some rental units. Previous Community Development Block Grants have been used solely for owner-occupied homes.

The neighborhood is bordered by College Street to the south, Jefferson to the north, Pacific to the east and West End Boulevard to the west.

Although the latest project will include some rental units, Williams said the owner-occupied homes will be given priority. He said the program already has sparked a great deal of interest from residents of the neighborhood.

"They've been trying to sign up for weeks," Williams said. "We're going to start taking applications Aug. 5.

"Basically, we've got all the houses in that area in mind. It's just a matter of who applies for it. The grants will be awarded to eligible homes on a strictly first come, first served basis."

Williams said actual construction on the approved homes could start as early as September and would continue through the winter.

The city has been awarded $340,000 for the first year and $460,000 for the second year of the program.

Williams said state guidelines permit up to $12,000 per house for renovations, including all labor and materials.

The city plans to contribute cash funds of $15,100 and labor and materials worth $67,000 to the first year of the program. In the second year, the city will provide a total of $197,300 $161,000 cash and $36,300 in labor and materials.

Two sewer problems in the area also will be corrected with grant funds.

The Park Avenue sewer line, which city officials have said has caused problems for years, will be replaced, and the city also will begin work to separate south-side combination storm and sanitary sewers.

The combination sewers are subject to flooding and the city is studying ways to correct the problem.

Williams has said the grant will correct the sewer problem in the neighborhood, and rehabilitate 87 percent of the substandard housing there. Of the grant, $230,000 has been earmarked for sewer work, with the remaining $570,000 allocated for home improvements.

Eligibility for the program is based on the home-owner's income. Residents must own the property for at least two years before they can become eligible for the renovation grants.

In the case of rental properties, if the tenant meets the guidelines but the landlord doesn't, the city could still provide a 50-percent funding match for the rehabilitation.

Homeowners also are required to sign a grant agreement stating that should the house be sold within four years of the rehabilitation, they would have to refund pro-rated portions of the grant, Williams said.

Figliolo said she hopes for a good crowd at Monday's meeting. She said the city sent notification letters to 85 residents and landlords in the neighborhood.

Representatives of the East Missouri Action Agency also will attend the meeting to discuss with property owners the agency's housing assistance program.

The city previously received four block grants worth about $1.8 million. The money was used to rehabilitate more than 100 houses and pave 17 streets in the south part of the city and in the Red Star area of northeast Cape Girardeau.

"All these have been positive projects and we're expecting even better results with this latest program," said Williams.