Rear View Of Loving Couple Looking At House
Getty Images/iStockphoto
loading...

The Town of New Lisbon announced today that it is applying for a Community Development Block Grant from the New York State Office of Community Renewal.

If awarded, the town will receive approximately $198,000 for use in rehabilitating six homes in the town. Repairs can include things like roofs, furnaces, doors and windows, electrical, and handicap-access improvements. There are no income limits but preference will be given to households of low to moderate income. Houses must be owner occupied and free of mortgages or other liens.

The Town is being assisted in this effort by the Otsego County Planning Department and Otsego Rural Housing Assistance, Inc.

To help inform town residents about this program, there will be a public meeting at the New Lisbon Town Hall on Saturday, March 30, at 3:00pm and a public hearing also at the Town Hall on April 9, at 7:00pm.

“I’m very excited about this grant application and optimistic that we will get the grant, said Town Supervisor Ed Lentz. “I’m very grateful to the county and to Otsego Rural Housing Assistance for their help with this effort. Being a small town, we couldn’t do this without them,” he added.

Erik Scrivener of the Otsego County Planning Department agreed that the town’s application stands a good chance of being awarded. “If it is awarded,” he said, “it will help town residents improve their living conditions and could open the door to similar grants with additional funding in the future.”

If the grant is awarded to New Lisbon, ORHA will be responsible for much of the implementation of the grant. According to Executive Director Tim Peters, “This is exactly in line with our mission, which is to improve chronic housing conditions by undertaking county-wide programs and initiatives that address the practical realities of providing decent, affordable housing in a low-wage, agricultural area.”

The deadline for submission of the application is April 26. The town expects to learn whether or not it has been awarded later in 2019. Residents who may benefit from the program are encouraged to contact Town Clerk Charlene Wells at 965-8508 or charlene_r_wells@yahoo.com or Tim Peters at 286-7244 or orha2@stny.rr.com.

More From WDOS-WDLA-WCHN CNY News