SOUTH AMBOY — Residents may be able to make home improvements, thanks to this year’s Community Development Block Grant funds.
Last year, the city used the funds for its Broadway façade program. This year, the city plans to establish a sidewalk and exterior façade improvement program, Business Administrator Camille Tooker said at the City Council’s March 5 business meeting.
Tooker said the project committee had voted to use the funds for that purpose, particularly since many homes were damaged by superstorm Sandy in October 2012. Some sidewalks have buckled due to this winter’s many storms, she added.
Under the program, residents would have to meet the income requirements to qualify. However, Tooker said she believed that, depending on the size of the family, this limit could go up to nearly $80,000 a year. Applicants would be considered on a first-come, first-served basis.
The city still needs to set the maximum that each family could use for improvements.
“Right now, we’re looking into what it would cost to do the average sidewalk — 50-foot length,” she said.
Tooker said the funds would likely be available in July, so the city has “some time to put this together.” The city generally receives around $40,000.
She also said residents would be smart to avail themselves of this program since the city also can enforce its code around uneven sidewalks. Tooker added that insurance companies can require policyholders to make exterior repairs, as uneven sidewalks can lead to pedestrian injury.
Last year, the city only had a little over $20,000 — about half of the usual allotment — for the existing Broadway façade program. Through the program, business owners can pursue opportunities such as sign, awning and front-window replacements.
The amount was limited because the city took out a float loan in 2010, taking about three years’ worth of allocations and putting it toward more than $100,000 in improvements at the senior center. The balance left from repaying the loan was not enough to launch a new program.
Also at the March 5 meeting, Council President Joseph Connors said he had some concerns around the bulk pick-up program, which requires residents to purchase stickers and place them on the items. Connors said he saw items at the curb that did not have stickers and others that were left out for nearly a week.
Tooker said she saw stickers on items, but if public works employees were to encounter bulk debris placed outside without stickers, the workers would call code enforcement with the potential for a citation. However, what might be complicating the issue is that public works has to get a better idea of how much employees can pick up on a given day, officials said.