News Flash

2017 City News Releases

Posted on: October 24, 2017

HUD approves City’s Annual Action Plan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 


The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has notified the City that its 2017 Annual Action Plan has been approved by the agency. 

A change in the way the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) calculates a timeliness ratio (what it means to use grant money in a timely manner) required the City’s Planning and Development Department to reallocate $4.05 million of the HUD funds the City uses to run a commercial loan program. The loan program was started by the City using Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) from HUD and has made more than 230 small business and facade improvement loans.  

The City was notified May 17, 2017 it was not in compliance with the new interpretation of HUD rules and was given a March 31, 2018 deadline to spend the money.  On June 12, City Council approved a plan which outlined the list of "shovel-ready" priority projects assembled by City staff. The projects were listed in two tiers so that if any of the lists of tier 1 were not completed before the March 31, 2018 deadline, tier 2 projects would be pre-identified to move forward.

Projects were selected using HUD’s strict criteria that includes meeting national objectives for the program, including benefiting low-to-moderate income people and eliminating slum and blight. The evaluation team also had the goal of funding high-impact and/or transformational projects, making sure projects were geographically dispersed and taking into account staff resources and other implementation issues.  



The projects in the final plan include:  

  

Project

Zone

Amount

Loan for Eden Village affordable housing project

2

$100,000

Loan for Springfield Affordable Housing Center

TBD

$1,000,000




Commercial Street Sidewalk

1

$25,000

Grand Street Sidewalk

1

$30,000

Jefferson Avenue Sidewalk

1

$25,000

Kansas Expressway Sidewalk

1

$43,400

Turner Street Sidewalk

1

$35,000

1300 Block North West Avenue Sidewalk

1

$1,000

1600 Block East Central Street Sidewalk

2

$25,000

College Street Streetscape

3

$750,000




Nichols Park Playground Improvements, Trail, Picnic Tables, Benches, Signage and Semi-Permanent Soccer Goals

1

$520,000

Tom Watkins Park New Restrooms/Support Facility, Playground Improvements, Trail and Signage

1

$695,000

Cooper Park Playground Improvements, Picnic Tables, Benches and Signage

2

$140,000

Jenny Lincoln Park Picnic Tables, Benches and Signage

3

$45,000

Trail Development from Cruse Dog Park to Ewing Park

3

$25,000

Meador Park Playground Improvements, Tennis Court/Pickle Ball Lighting and Fence, Trail and Signage

4

$465,000

  


According to HUD, Annual Action Plans provide a concise summary of the actions, activities, and the specific federal and non-federal resources that will be used each year to address the priority needs and specific goals identified by a city’s Consolidated Plan. View the City of Springfield’s 2015-2017 Consolidated Plan.

Cities then report on accomplishments and progress toward their Consolidated Plan goals in a Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). View the City of Springfield’s 2016 CAPER.


 

# # #

  

For more information, contact Director of Planning & Development Mary Lilly Smith at 417-864-1094 or Director of Public Information & Civic Engagement Cora Scott at 417-380-3352.

   




Facebook Twitter Email

Other News in 2017 City News Releases

Petition to repeal pit bull ban sufficient

Posted on: November 20, 2017