Article by: Allison Wagner and Ron Zeigler
The City of Hayfield has been awarded a $581,900 Small Cities Development Program (SCDP) Grant from the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The grant was authored by CEDA’s Small Cities Development Program Specialist, Allison Wagner.
“The process of applying for DEED’s SCDP program can take nearly a year”, Wagner says. “It involves working with the City to identify a target area, surveying the area to determine the level of need, and submitting a preliminary application. Then, cities must be invited to submit a full application. Once a city is awarded, CEDA conducts an environmental review before grant money can be used.”
Last month, CEDA began disbursing grant funds for the City of Hayfield. Abby Wright, CEDA Community Grants Specialist, and Wagner are working to disburse the funds to 23 households over the next two years. Disbursement includes meeting with homeowners to determine eligibility, walking though homes in order to determine needs, writing work write-ups for contractors, getting State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) approval, coordinating and attending pre-construction meetings, doing inspections, and reporting to DEED.
CEDA has been applying for and disbursing SCDP grants for over 30 years. SCDP funds, which are 100% forgivable for homeowners who stay in their home for seven years from the project start date, are used by low-to-median income home owners to fix health and concerns inside the home, as well as major aesthetics on the exterior of their homes. Funds are commonly used to repair worn and leaking roofs, torn away siding, missing or dysfunctional gutters and railings, peeling paint, and to address lead hazards.