Nassau County - Long Island, New York

Mangano Awards The Village Of Rockville Centre More Than $250,000 For Parks Improvements, Youth & Senior Citizen Programs

 Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano today awarded a $255,020 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to the Village of Rockville Centre. The grant will fund a variety of projects in the Village, including improvements to the Reverend Morgan Days Park, the Reverend Martin Luther King Center, the L. Sandel Senior Center, and the Rosa Lee Young Childhood Center. Funds will also go towards providing for tutors and counselors at Confide, R.V.C. Consultation Center, R.V.C. Economic Development Council, and the Hispanic Brotherhood of Rockville Centre, along with providing entry level job training programs at the Youth Employment Program (YET).


“The Community Development Block Grant Program is essential to help our communities make critical infrastructure improvements and promote neighborhood development,” said County Executive Mangano. “These funds will greatly assist the Village of Rockville Centre’s efforts to improve the quality of life for residents and provide much-needed funding for worthwhile community organizations programs for children and senior citizens.”

Allocations for the Village of Rockville Centre include:

  • $44,000 for general management, oversight coordination, monitoring and evaluation costs and carrying charges related to planning and execution of community development activities
  • $35,000 for the continuation of improvements to Rev. Morgan Days Park. Renovations include but are not limited to: provide and install new asphalt pathway for residents to have a safer and easier access to the park, the installation of landscaping irrigation and new signage
  • $94,520 for interior and exterior renovations at the Rev. Martin Luther King Center including but not limited to the installation of new ceilings, walls, floors, electric and plumbing, and new cabinets, sinks, appliances in the kitchen, as well as the construction of a new storage shed
  • $12,000 for interior and exterior at the L. Sandel Senior Center that include the installation of an alarm an security surveillance system
  • $1,000 to the Rosa Lee Young Childhood Center for interior and exterior renovations that include the installation of new floor tiles in four classrooms and hallways
  • $30,000 to the Youth Employment Training Program (YET) to provide entry-level training and work experience programs for disadvantaged youth
  • $7,000 to Confide, R.V.C. Consultation Center to provide a salary for a part-time counselor
  • $8,000 to R.V.C. Economic Development Council to provide the salary for a math tutor in the Council’s after-school program
  • $22,000 to the Hispanic Brotherhood of Rockville Centre to provide for the salary of an outreach counselor, tutor, and/or maintenance person
  • $1,500 to the Rev. Martin Luther King Center for the purchase of furnishings, program & recreational equipment, supplies and materials

“The Village of Rockville Centre is grateful for Nassau County’s approval of this year’s Community Development Block Grant funding. These funds provide crucial support to our parks, recreation, youth and senior programs as well as assisting several community service non-profit organizations. This success was made possible by the resident volunteers on our Community Development Advisory Committee who spent many hours reviewing grant proposals and preparing the successful grant application,” said Village of Rockville Centre Mayor Francis X. Murray.

The CDBG Program is a Federal entitlement program that provides communities with resources to address a wide range of unique community development needs. CDBG funds can be used for a wide range of activities related to housing, economic development, commercial revitalization, public services, infrastructure and public facilities. An estimated 90% of CDBG funds are used annually to benefit very low, low and moderate income individuals.

In Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2011, which began on September 1, 2011, the County consortium has received an allocation of $14,136,015 under the CDBG Program for use on eligible projects within the County. FFY 2011 is the 37th year that Nassau County has participated.