Hud Awards Funds to Weld County Community Development Block Grant Program

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded Weld County’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program $1,057,285. Originally, HUD awarded $1,041,930 to the CDBG program in March but HUD reviewed CDBG’s Consolidated Plan and realized the program was eligible for increased funding.

“These funds will help pay for community improvement projects and CDBG administrative costs from now to March 31, 2022,” Weld County Commissioner Chair Steve Moreno said.

The Weld County CDBG program was established in June of last year with the county securing Intergovernmental Agreements (IGAs) with 25 of its municipalities to implement community improvement projects and allocate program funds accordingly. After a public outreach campaign in August and October of 2020, residents’ comments about what improvements they would like to see in their communities were added to the Needs Assessment section of the Consolidated Plan. This plan was then brought before the Board of County Commissioners during a public hearing process in February and March of 2020 by Don Sandoval, CDBG Program Manager.

This past October, a seven-member CDBG Advisory Committee was created to help CDBG staff review community improvement project applications submitted by municipalities and the county. The committee also makes recommendations to the board regarding community development issues and allocations of funds for proposed CDBG projects.

Community improvement project applications were accepted from November to December 2020, and this March, the board selected three community improvement projects. The first project is the expansion of Firestone’s Via Transit Service from three days to five per week. The service provides transit to doctor’s appointments, health clinics, and training located in surrounding communities for Firestone residents who are disabled, 60+ in age or low- to moderate-income individuals. Second, the Evans Water Efficiency program will partner with Larimer County’s Conservation Corps (LCCC) to assess low- to moderate-income owner-occupied homes in replacing toilets and water fixtures. As many as 50 houses will benefit from these upgraded amenities. The third project brings improvements to Idaho Street in Evans – two blocks of which are currently unpaved. These two blocks will be paved, a water line will be replaced and storm drainage along with sidewalks will be added to the street. While the Evans Water Efficiency program and Idaho Street project were approved by the board, both are awaiting sub-recipient agreements before they each move forward.  The next community improvement project application period opens on October 1, 2021.

For more information about Weld County’s CDBG program, visit www.weldgov.com/Government/County-Programs/Community-Development-Block-Grant.