Mangano and Ford Announce Community Improvement Grants

Exceeding Half a Million Dollars for Long Beach

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano and County Legislator Denise Ford announced that the City of Long Beach will receive more than half a million dollars in Pre-Hurricane Sandy Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for everything from residential rehabilitation and park improvements to senior and youth programs, its food pantry to equipment for lifeguards.

The Nassau County Office of Community Development receives a direct allocation of CDBG funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Approximately 80% of the County’s funds are distributed to participating local municipalities for revitalization projects, infrastructure improvements, public service initiatives, parks and playground enhancements, code enforcement and providing access to the disabled.

County Executive Mangano stated, “While these dollars were earmarked Pre-Hurricane Sandy, the County will use them to help the City of Long Beach recover. Together with the City, we urge the Federal government to approve New York State’s local recovery programs that result in significantly more funds being invested in recovery efforts.”

“The county will do everything it can to help the Long Beach recovery,” said Nassau County Legislator Denise Ford. “This is an excellent use of CDBG funds, and this money will go a long way to help community initiatives in our city.”

Grant funds may also be used to rehabilitate eligible homes, and for anti-poverty housing initiatives. Communities, which are encouraged to develop their own programs, must promote the national CDBG objectives to give the highest funding priority to activities benefitting low/moderate income persons and the elimination or prevention of slums and blight.

The $552,973.00 that Long Beach will receive will be used for:

$100,000 for residential rehabilitation and maintaining the stock of affordable housing
$81,973 to improve community centers, municipal facilities and parks for low to moderate income residents
$70,000 for the Long Beach boardwalk
$60,000 to improve the City’s water pollution plant
$80,000 for administration of the CDBG program
$55,000 to construct ADA compliant rest rooms at St. Mary’s Food Pantry
$52,000 for interior and exterior renovations at the Long Beach VFW
$50,000 to expand service for Senior Citizen programs
$50,000 for at-risk low income youth programs
$40,000 to replace emergency service equipment for the city lifeguards
$1,000 to clear and demolish unsafe properties that could be hazardous
$1,000 for streetscapes
$1,000 for improvements at the Martin Luther King Center
$1,000 for plumbing and electrical updates at park comfort stations

Long Beach City Manager Jack Schnirman said, “These are much needed funds for the City; it is just unfortunate that the federal allocation dwindles every year. However, we are still hopeful that we will receive additionalcritical community development funds for our recovery as part of the supplemental funding recently passed by Congress.”