Council approves HUD funds

Published 9:43 pm Thursday, October 3, 2019

City Council approved U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funding of more than $800,000 in grant money Wednesday.

By a unanimous vote, council voted to accept the HUD funding, as well as grant money for the Suffolk Executive Airport, the city’s Parks and Recreation and police departments, and the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office.

HUD awarded the city $807,649 in grant money, including $459,389 in Community Development Block Grant money to support. the program’s administration and activities that serve low-to-moderate income people and families.

Email newsletter signup

Of the $459,389, $208,000 will go toward neighborhood and community improvement, and $100,000 will go toward the emergency home repair program.

The money also includes $348,260 that will go to the Home Investment Partnership Program. That money will go toward program administration and activities for low-to-moderate income people and families of the Western Tidewater HOME Consortium, of which Suffolk is the lead agency. Franklin, along with Isle of Wight and Southampton counties, is also a part of the consortium.

The Suffolk Executive Airport also will receive $15,200 in state Department of Aviation money to update the stormwater pollution prevention plan and spill prevention and control countermeasure plan. There is a $3,800 local match that comes from the fiscal year 2019-2020 aviation facilities fund budget.

The airport will receive a $89,600 grant from the Department of Aviation to support easement acquisition for an obstruction removal project. Specifically, it will go toward for surveying and title searches of adjacent properties with trees that are or will be a hazard for inbound or outbound aircraft.

There is a required local match of $22,400 for the project that will come from the fiscal year 2019-2020 capital projects fund budget.

The city has also received $2,500 from Pender and Coward, P.C. to buy and plant 25 trees along Planters Club Drive, with city staff assisting volunteers in the planting.

The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded the city a $30,143 Justice Assistance Grant — $25,622 that will go to the Suffolk Police Department for training and equipment, and $4,521 going to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office for code books and supplies.