By Neale Gulley<br><a href="mailto:gulleyn@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Neale</a>
North Tonawanda’s grant writers are preparing to go after about $800,000 in federal money aimed at helping bring aging buildings up to code.
Lumber City Development Corp’s director Jim Sullivan met with the Common Council at Tuesday’s meeting to request holding a necessary public hearing to seek $400,000 from the Community Development Block Grant along with another $400,000 grant.
Sullivan said the money could be applied to single-family households with a total income ranging from low to extremely low, and that a slate of about 100 eligible applicants has already been culled.
Eighteen of the target structures are contained throughout the city, with another 18 in the greater downtown section of the city.
The block grant requires a public hearing, while the second batch of money the city will seek through the Division of Housing and Community Renewal does not. The deadline to file for the latter is next week.
Sullivan said there is a maximum of $25,000 that can be applied to any one structure, which will be used to address code violation first, then general improvements.
Following that and a meeting with Thunder on the Niagara organizer Darryl Monette regarding this year’s planned boat races (tentatively set for the weekend of Aug. 21 at Gratwick Park), the council heard a pitch from Wheatfield Town Engineer Tim Walck.
Walck spoke on behalf of the Western New York Stormwater Coalition about a preliminary study into plans to create what’s called a Stormwater Utility District.
The idea has been employed elsewhere in the nation and would essentially allow communities throughout Erie and Niagara counties to pay a fee for oversight of stormwater systems, overseen by the state in zones beyond their immediate borders.
Jurisdictional problems in identifying stormwater system problems plaguing one municipality, but originating in another, could more easily be addressed, the research indicates.
“Usually that problem cannot be solved by looking at a municipal entity,” Walck said. “Unless there’s a regional way to look at that, it’s not going to be solved.”
Though the city and others may indefinitely shelve any decision to take part, Walck said the Department of Environmental Conservation will require a written reason.
“Obviously we need a nucleus of communities that are interested for this to make sense,” he said.
Among the benefits identified in the study are a revenue stream from a roughly $3 per household fee, most of which would be reinvested in the city, outreach and public education on stormwater-related issues, tax incentives for businesses employing green construction methods, ferreting out illegal connections that burden the systems, Global Information Systems management and audits to address pollution.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting: City Attorney Shawn Nickerson said the owner of a cell tower on city property wants to renegotiate a long-term contract for use of the land. Though officials seemed happy to wait until the current contract expires, co-location fees for additions to the towers over the years are not collected at this site the way they are at others. While Nickerson said the city is missing out on a relatively small amount of money, “it’s something we’re not getting.”
“At least from my perspective, from the city’s perspective, there’s no reason this has to go on the agenda immediately,” Nickerson said.
Contact reporter Neale Gulley at 693-1000, ext. 114.
