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Home My WebLink About03-126 , • Resolution No. 03-126 RESOLUTION APPROVING GRANT RECIPIENTS UNDER THE NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT GRANT PROGRAM WHEREAS, the Neighborhood Improvement Grant Program has been established to provide financial assistance and incentives for neighborhood groups and organizations in the development and implementation of projects benefitting their respective neighborhoods; and WHEREAS, in 2003 applications have been made by eleven citizen groups for eleven projects under the Neighborhood Improvement Grant Program; and WHEREAS, said applications have been reviewed and recipients selected by the City Council . NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS, that grant assistance be provided under the Neighborhood Improvement Grant Program to the following organizations : Organization Project Grant Century Oaks West Burnidge Woods Park Signage $ 5, 170 . 00 Northeast Neighborhood Association Project Inter-Connect $ 14, 999 . 00 Lord' s Park School Lord' s Park Accessible Playground $ 15, 000 . 00 Sheridan School School Sign $ 6, 709 . 00 Parkwood Village Assn. Light Pole Replacement $ 15, 000 . 00 Gifford Park Association GPA Pocket Park $ 15, 000 . 00 Washington Elementary School School Sign $ 8, 557 . 00 Sandy Creek Condominium Association Entryway Sign $ 2 , 478 . 97 TOTAL $ 82, 913 . 97 _ . BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the projects shall be in conformance with all applicable codes and ordinances . s/Ed Schock Ed Schock, Mayor Presented: May 14 , 2003 Adopted: May 14 , 2003 Omnibus Vote: Yeas : 6 Nays : 0 Attest : s/Dolonna Mecum Dolonna Mecum, City Clerk OF Fe,C' 1 J Agenda Item No. K ; § City of Elgin It April 18 , 2003 N QUALITY HOUSING TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council FROM: David M. Dorgan, City Manager RuthAnne Hall , Planning & Preservation Coordinator SUBJECT: 2003 Neighborhood Improvement Grant Program - Large Project Applications PURPOSE The purpose of this memorandum is to provide the Mayor and members of the City Council with information to consider applications for the 2003 Neighborhood Improvement Program - Large Project Fund. BACKGROUND The Neighborhood Improvement Grant Program (NIGP) was established in 1996 using Riverboat funds to provide financial assistance to neighborhood groups and organizations in the development and implementation of public projects benefiting their respective neighborhoods . Since its inception the NIGP has awarded $547, 592 to 76 neighborhood projects throughout the community, including projects such as neighborhood signage, parkway tree replacements, newsletters, neighborhood festivals, and community-building events . In response to citizen input, the program was reevaluated to institute new initiatives to increase the participation and impact the grant program has throughout the community. The key changes that were made were the three fund distribution categories (i .e . Small Project Fund, Large Project Fund, and Neighborhood Planning Fund) , expansion of eligible participants, a required 50 percent match by applicants, and mandatory grant identification. The Large Project Fund is targeted for projects with a cost eow between $1, 000 and $15, 000 and that can be completed within one ' r 2003 Neighborhood Improvement Grant Program - Large Project irk Applications April 18, 2003 Page 2 year. Organizations will be limited to receiving one grant from the Large Project Fund per program year. The grant program was initially advertised to interested neighborhood groups through a training program held on December 5, 2002 , the City' s website, articles published in the Neighborhood Network Newsletter and The Voice, and several press releases submitted to local papers . A pre-application deadline for the Large Project Fund was established for February 28, 2003 . The pre-application meeting was recommended to interested neighborhood groups to present their ideas to staff and address any outstanding issues with compliance with City codes and ordinances . Nine out of the eleven groups submitting final applications participated in the pre-application process . There were 11 final applications submitted, with a total request for funding of $124 , 410 . 83 . The total amount of funding budgeted for the Large Project Fund is no less than 60% of the overall $125, 000 2003 budget for the Neighborhood Improvement Grant Program ($75, 000) and no more than 70% of the overall budget ($87, 500) . A team of staff members from various City departments and a representative from the Elgin Community Network met as an ad-hoc committee and made recommendations for grant awards . The following criteria were used to evaluate and score submitted applications . Each application was reviewed on the basis of a 100 point rating system, with 100 points being the highest rating and 50 points being the minimum threshold for consideration of eligibility. Points for specific criterion are indicated in parenthesis : 1 . Community Benefit a. Project proposes a creative approach to a neighborhood need or enhancement (0 to 10 points) b. Project activities address a highly recognized need within the neighborhood (0 to 15 points) 2003 Neighborhood Improvement Grant Program - Large Project Applications April 18 , 2003 Page 3 2 . Participation a. Project includes opportunities to involve neighbors in shaping and carrying out the project (0 to 10 points) b. The project promotes opportunities to form partnerships with other groups or organizations to complete joint projects or activities (0 to 15 points) 3 . Project Feasibility a. The proposal demonstrates excellence in design, planning, and execution of the proposed project or activity (0 to 15 points) b. Budget reliably represents the projects expenses and revenue (0 to 10 points) 4 . Municipal Compatibility a. Project integrates with the City' s Master Plan and is consistent with City policy and ordinances (0 to 15 points) b. Project or activities requires minimal maintenance and city staff time (0 to 10 points) The ad-hoc committee recommended funding for 8 of the 11 applications . A table listing each of the projects, total project cost, grant amount requested and grant amount recommended by staff is attached (Exhibit A) . The figures used were submitted by each group and may include estimated labor costs . The projects are listed in order of ranking by the committee . The three applications that did not receive funding were the Downtown Neighborhood Association Mural Project, Glens of College Green Entryway Signs, and the Valley Creek Homeowners Association Rejuvenate Valley Creek Island Project . In regards to the Downtown Neighborhood Association, several questions were raised by the committee regarding the compliance of murals with City ordinances . There was also a suggestion that the mural project may be included with the proposed projects for the ppr sesquicentennial celebration for the City. The proposed 2003 Neighborhood Improvement Grant Program - Large Project rApplications April 18 , 2003 Page 4 projects for the Glens of College Green and the Valley Creek Homeowners Association did not receive funding based on the fact that they did not adequately meet the requirements for the 50 percent match for the program. In terms of the Glens of College Green, the project failed to meet the minimum match of 25 percent volunteer labor. The proposed project for the Valley Creek Homeowners Association did not meet the requirements of either the full 50 percent match or the 25 percent volunteer labor, and as a result did not score high enough to be eligible for a grant . The total allocated funding for the recommended projects for the Large Project Fund is $82 , 913 . 97 . This amount is $4 , 586 . 03 less than the maximum 70% of the overall $125, 000 2003 budgeted for the Neighborhood Improvement Grant Program ($87, 500) . It is proposed that a second application date be made available so that additional projects can be submitted to utilize the remainder of the funding available to the Large Project Fund per rthe Neighborhood Improvement Grant Program Ordinance . COMMUNITY GROUPS/INTERESTED PERSONS CONTACTED Various neighborhood organizations throughout the city and the members of the Elgin Community Network. ft(IL—FINANCIAL IMPACT It is proposed that $82 , 913 . 97 be allocated to the Large Project Fund. The 2003 budget for the Neighborhood Improvement Grant Program is $125 , 000 with the distribution as follows : 1 . Small Project Fund - no less than 10%, no more than 15% of the annual funding . 2 . Large Project Fund - no less than 60%, no more than 70% of annual funding . 3 . Neighborhood Planning Fund - no less than 20%, no more than 25% of annual funding. Funding for the Large Project Fund portion of the NIGP is available in the Riverboat Fund, account number 275-0000-791 . 78- 99 project number 079850 . er. 2003 Neighborhood Improvement Grant Program - Large Project Applications April 18, 2003 Page 5 OVL EGAL IMPACT None . ALTERNATIVES 1 . Approve the list of recommended grant recipients eligible for the Large Project Fund of the Neighborhood Improvement Grant Program. 2 . Reject the list of selected recipients . RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council approve the grant recipient eligibility list and direct staff to execute the grant agreements . Respectfully submitted for Council consideration. RH/sr r Neighborhood II._ ovement Grant -1 . Large Project Applications 0%1.4 a:.; ,,X,;:;, ,..:*i:Miii4.:, , 'c',-.„,'4,,,,,'ot:-.,,..,,,,!,' „i„,,,,,i4:,,:r.e;Wf,•."ti.*Y.5•;.'•.!-:k,;„,,,,.,,,A,V,,,-'••••*44,•,, .';,;:e;.t,,,:•it.4.•4tf:•,.:,ngy,,,,,tp.,•,,k,'e!,j,,L,L :,,,,: ,,iwor,,•:N::, .,,,.;- 41v4.0. .‘4,R?i;', .•'7"'.,':,•',• ',''nYZM'',:,1:,0''"., , '''7'., ',:'•':•;;.,'''•'-' '''''''"''')''',!;;T"V:'''s,:'•.5 •),04:44;04: 1':::. : 1..M4-,.:,,t. ,..g4t*:1-4; '. .:A.Oial-Al ' '•or '.','.'"'Ditalitzit 44-.::,,i'.t''''''''''AT' ''',H''''-';'''''-,,,"‘'' . —.—., ,,, Burridge Woods Park Signage $ 10,593.00 $ 5,423.00 $ 5,170.00 $ 5,170.00 76.6 Century Oaks West* Project Inter-Connect $ 33,544.00 $ 18,545.00 $ 14,999.00 $ 14,999.00 75.3 NENA* Lord's Park Accessible Playground $ 93,427.45 $ 48,933.45 $ 15,000.00 $ 15,000.00 75.1 Lord's Park School* School Sign $ 13,419.00 $ 6,710.00 $ 6,709.00 $ 6,709.00 73.8 Sheridan School* Light pole replacement $ 75,920.00 $ 63,480.00 $ 15,000.00 $ 15,000.00 70.7 Parkwood Village Association* GPA Pocket Park $ 30,700.00 $ 15,700.00 $ 15,000.00 $ 15,000.00 70.4 Gifford Park Assoc.* School Sign $ 17,114.00 $ 9,528.00 $ 8,557.00 $ 8,557.00 70.3 Washington Elementary School* Entryway Sign $ 4,957.94 $ 2,478.97 $ 2,478.97 $ 2,478.97 65.7 Sandy Creek Condominium Assoc.* Mural Project $ 43,000.00 $ 28,000.00 $ 15,000.00 $ - 63.2 Downtown Neighborhood Assoc. Entryway Signs $ 22,993.75 $ 11,496.88 $ 11,496.86 $ - 54.6 Glens of College Green Rejuvenate Valley Creek Island. $ 15,440.00 $ 5,576.00 $ 15,000.00 $ - 46.6 Valley Creek HOA* $ 361,109.14 $ 215,871.30 $ 124,410.83 $ 82,913.97 *Preapplication submitted for initial review