Escambia Seeks $7 Million In Disaster Grants, Including $600K for Century

January 5, 2010

Escambia County is applying for a $7 million disaster recover grant to be used by Escambia County, the Town of Century and the City of Pensacola.

cdbg.jpgCentury’s $600,000 portion of the grant funds, if approved, will be used to upgrade a drainage ditch that serves primarily the Jefferson and Pond Street areas. The town does not currently have a dedicated easement for the ditch, so the town’s ability to maintain it has been hampered. As a result, the ditch has grown up with heave vegetation and debris from storms, and as a result it is difficult for the town to maintain it with hand labor and small equipment. The goal of the project will be to secure easements for the adjacent property owners and to clear and reshape the ditch to improve it so that it can be better maintained in the future.

The design, engineering and project management portion of the Century project is estimated to cost $100,382, and the construction phase is estimated to cost $499,618. Escambia County will manage and complete the project. Century will not be required to provide any matching funding for the project.

$1.05 million of Escambia County’s portion of the grant, if approved, would partially fund the acquisition of the Maison Deville Apartments, which were damaged by Hurricane Ivan and further impacted by Hurricane Gustav. The 144-unit complex would be replaced by 25 unis of mixed income rental housing. $2.85 million would be used by the county for a new homeless service center that would house the Waterfront Rescue Mission and provide homeless services.

Pensacola’s $3 million will be used for low and moderate income housing improvements.

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Disaster Recovery Grants totaling $81 million are available statewide under funding approved by Congress for areas declared disaster areas due to 2008 storms. Escambia County was one of six counties in Florida declared disaster areas due to the impact of Hurricane Gustav.

Comments

One Response to “Escambia Seeks $7 Million In Disaster Grants, Including $600K for Century”

  1. Jack Moran on January 5th, 2010 6:19 am

    North Escambia & Century doesn’t need affordable housing or a homeless shelter/Services Center?

    Did the 2,000 plus folks displaced by Ivan & Dennis get affordable housing? Drainage is good but there is much more.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News