Font ResizeTOWNSEND -- Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) money that is paying for the rehabilitation of eight houses and one septic system will end June 30.
Last week, selectmen authorized Shelly Hatch of the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) to begin a new application process for 2010 provided it won't cost taxpayers anything.
The 2007 CDBG grant under which projects in Lancaster, Lunenburg, Townsend and Ashburnham are moving forward was for $1.183 million. Hatch said some extra money was moved from Lunenburg to Townsend projects.
The new application will again be for the maximum $1.2 million with the four towns sharing it equally. It is due in February 2010 but there is considerable advance work to be done, Hatch said.
That work includes development strategy, deciding on a target area and bonus points as well as a new requirement to hold a public forum. Only towns with bonus points received CDBG grant money in 2007.
A maximum of 10 bonus points can be awarded, five when plans include integrated projects and five when there are "complimentary" projects within a target area.
To integrate means having a second project in the same target area that addresses a similar topic to the main plan. Qualification for complimentary points involves showing that town funds were spent within the target area, for example, sidewalks or replacing water lines. Townsend paid for curbing.
Answering Selectman Robert Plamondon, Hatch
Criteria for a successful application now include four issues: The community development strategy must describe how the town identifies and will accomplish the work, projects must be prioritized, geographic target areas must be identified, and proof that a public forum was held must be documented.
Hatch said MRPC supplied the strategy docucment in 2007 which, as with the new round of grants, must be reviewed by selectmen and other officials.
MRPC will request that a community development advisory committee be set up.
