Crews work to extend the Streetscape-style sidewalk down East Third Avenue. The funds used for the project will help Community Development spend $60,778 in Community Development Block Grant funds before Nov. 1. (Doug Walker / Rome News-Tribune)
This property at 503 Branham Ave. is one of four properties scheduled to undergo minor repairs as part of a Community Development Block Grant project. (Daniel Varnado / Rome News-Tribune)
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has a requirement that no more than 1.5 times the annual entitlement amount can be held in the city’s CDBG account at the end of October in order to be fully funded for the following year. Rome has to spend the $60,778 to get under that amount.
Community Development specialist Bekki Fox said an expansion of Broad Street sidewalk work to include a section on Third Avenue will eat up some of that money. The approval of several minor repairs to residential housing projects before the end of the month would also eat into that amount.
Dedee Sanderson told the city’s Community Development committee Wednesday that bids for four homes are due by Oct. 17, and if those projects are sent to contract, it would draw that $60,778 figure down by approximately $20,000.
In other business, Rome Environmental Planner Eric Lindberg reported he is attempting to transform his Adopt-A-Stream program into a Water Quality Rating program in conjunction with students at Berry College.
A Rivers Alive cleanup program will take place Oct 20. Rome groups will be working with the Bartow Beautiful office to conduct a cleanup of the Etowah River from the Allatoona Dam all the way to the Mayo’s Bar Lock & Dam on the Coosa River.
Lindberg also reported that the Joel Sulzbacher Roman Holiday tour boat was back in the water after repairs to both engines, which were damaged on a trip last month.
“Our captains are being very careful in the rivers,” Lindberg said.
Becky Smyth told the committee that the next Downtown Block Party has been scheduled for Oct. 26, in the 300 and 400 blocks of Broad Street. A stage will be set up at Fourth and Broad with the featured bands for the night being Daddy Irv and Babe’s Bayou. The event will run from 7 to 10 p.m.
Smyth also reported the Department of Community Affairs, because of slow registration, has canceled a statewide loft-type housing conference that had been scheduled for Oct. 25 in Rome.
Smyth, representing Downtown Development Director Ann Arnold, also told the committee that through the month of September downtown Rome has seen a net gain of 82 new jobs.
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