County projects top list for CDBG grant fund rankings

Three Stutsman County projects topped the list at the South Central Dakota Regional Council annual Community Development Block Grant scoring and ranking session Wednesday.

Four jurisdictions submitted applications for CDBG grant funds totaling $343,975 in requests. The nine-county region is estimated to have $262,492 in grant funds to recommend to the governor to award.

The Committee voted to recommend to the governor awarding grants to the following projects: A grant of $200,000 to Streeter in Stutsman County to assist a water main project; a grant of $46,975 to assist Kensal in Stutsman County with a removal of architectural barriers project; and a grant of $15,517 to Stutsman County to assist the James River Senior Center with the purchase of kitchen equipment.

Scoring and ranking of the projects was done by a committee with one representative from each of the council’s nine counties. They included Don Frye representing Foster County, who was elected committee chairman; Phil Leitner representing Barnes County, Gary White representing Dickey County, Farrah Saxberg representing Griggs County, Rick Richter representing Wells County, Bernie Wanzek representing Stutsman County, Donald Kosel representing McIntosh County, Dean Entzminger representing Logan County and Keith Heidinger representing LaMoure County.

Also vying for grant funding was a project for removal of architectural barriers and improvements at the community hall in the city of Dazey in Barnes County. All four projects were ranked to be funded if funds are available.

“CDBG funds are important in our region to assist in providing safe communities through these public facility projects from infrastructure to removal of architectural barriers and assisting senior citizens,” SCDRC Executive Director Deb Kantrud said.

Eligibility requirements include that the funds assist communities with 51 percent or more low-to-moderate-income people, projects that address removal of architectural barriers in public facilities or senior populations.

Tags: news, grants