July 7, 2007 — Senators proposed supplementing this year's $1.7 million in Community Development Block Grant funds for after-school programs and other community projects by reprogramming $1.9 million set aside as matching funds for a proposed National Guard Youth Challenge school for troubled youth during a meeting of the Committee of the Whole in Frederiksted Friday evening.
No vote was taken, but Sens. Usie Richards and Celestino White both said the money in question would be reprogrammed and endorsed helping the programs receiving CDBG funds. Earlier in the day, during a hearing of the Rules and Judiciary Committee, a bill authorizing the Virgin Islands National Guard to set up a local branch of the nationwide program was sent back to its originating committee to be rewritten. (See "Senate Committee Calls for School Snack Crackdown." )
Administered on the local level by the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, the program is supervised nationally by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which also distributes CDBG funds to the states and territories. While last year's grant award totaled some $1.9 million, the 2007 grant has been pared back to about $1.7 million, increasing pressure on the organizations which rely on the funding. (See "Senators Question Cuts to Community Development Block Grant Funds.")
White argued for the reprogramming.
"Before us right now are programs that are up and running and could desperately use the money right away," he said. "When you look per island, there is only $600,000 or $700,000 in CDBG funds for St. Croix and for St. Thomas. Yet we have $1.9 million for an organization that does not exist today and is not ready to go."
Sen. Ronald Russell strenuously objected.
"They are ready to go as soon as the bill is passed," Russell said. "They could have the school ready this fall. But if you reprogram the money and start the whole process again, who knows how long it will be?"
To illustrate the level of competition for funding, White asked DPNR Acting Director of CDBG Programs Bernadette Richards the dollar amount of grant requests that had been turned down.
"Territory wide, $7.5 million in projects were turned down," Richards said. "On St. Croix, $1.8 million in projects were rejected."
Worrying several recipients of the larger grants for capital projects, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, which disburses the grant funds, awarded smaller amounts than promised previously.
"In the 2006 grant year CDBG awarded us $134,000," said Helping Children Work Estate Grove Place After-School Program Operations Manager Harriet Williams. "Now the award is reduced to $121,000, which will not be enough to complete the project."
Williams asked if the grant amount could be returned to the original amount. Richards said the total amount available for the several projects was more than the amount cited in this year's grant allocation. For Grove Place, she said the award from this year’s grant was $121,104 but DPNR had funds held back when last year’s grants were reprogrammed, bringing the total amount available back to $134,000. She said similar held-back amounts were available for immediate drawdown for several of the larger projects, including $30,000 for Catholic Charities’ Bethlehem House renovation project on St. Croix. Exact amounts available for each project were not immediately available, but Richards told the senators she would provide those numbers quickly.
Below is a complete list of this year’s CDBG recipients and their respective allocations for 2007.
Territory Wide:
To the Division of Capital and Planning for a program administrator and for the operation of the Community Development Block Grant Program: $358,501.
After-school programs:
St. John
— Episcopal Diocese of the Virgin Islands: To operate a computer training program at the St. Ursula Church: $14,485;
— Disabled Training Program, St. John: To Virgin Islands Resource Center for the Disabled to operate an after-school program for the disabled at Julius Sprauve School, Cruz Bay, St. John. This is the ninth year the project will be funded: $8,000; and
— Love City Pan Dragons Steel Orchestra: For the operation of an after-school steel band instruction program. The program will serve 40 students. This is the first year the project will be funded: $10,966.
St. Thomas
— Wesley Methodist Church: For the operation of an after-school program on the eastern end of the island. This is the third time this project has been funded: $15,000;
— Brighter Writers Summer Club: To operate a summer camp that provides writing instruction, reading, arts and crafts, sewing, typing and computer training for low to moderate income youth. This is the second time the project has been funded: $10,000;
— Disabled Training Program, St. Thomas: To Virgin Islands Resource Center for the Disabled to operate an after-school program for the disabled at no. 74-75 Kronprindsens Gade. This is the ninth year this project has been funded: $15,000.
— Department of Housing Parks and Recreation: For a summer swimming program for low to moderate income youth. This is the sixth year of funding for this project: $10,000;
— The University of the Virgin Islands Upward Bound Program: An after-school literacy and resource program for parents and children on St. Thomas. This program will serve 60 youths. This is the first year the project has been funded: $12,455; and
— St. Andrews Seek and Serve after-school program, located in St. Andrews Anglican Church in Sugar Estate: $15,000;
— Virgin Islands Missions after-school program in St. Thomas’ Vitraco Park: $15,000; and
— We From Up Street after-school program in the J. Antonio Jarvis School: $15,000.
St. Croix
— Estate Grove Place after-school program, at no. 156 Estate Grove Place: $15,000;
— Holy Ghost Deliverance Ministries after-school program, tutorial help and computer program: $15,000;
— The Garden School Eye-Q Program: A reading enhancement and computer training after-school program: $15,000;
— Virgin Islands Resource Center for the Disabled: After-school program for disabled children ages five to 17 on St. Croix: $15,000;
— Department of Housing, Parks and Recreation after-school program on St. Croix: $10,000;
— The University of the Virgin Islands Upward Bound Program: An after-school literacy and resource program for parents and children on St. Croix. The program is mirrored on St. Thomas: $13,000;
— Current Bridges after-school program: this program in the Frederiksted Baptist Church will provide tutorial and homework assistance along with computer training to the Harrigan Housing Complex and surrounding areas: $12,000; and
— St. Paul Episcopal Youth Steel Orchestra; funded through Housing Parks and Recreation, they provide steel pan instruction to children ages eight to 18: $15,000.
Other programs and projects:
St. Thomas
— Estate Bovoni Site Improvements: funding to Public Works for landscaping and an entry sign: $136,122; and
— Long Path/Garden Street Community Center: Funding to build a community center: $433,507.
St. Croix
— Frederiksted Baptist Church Temporary Housing Facility: For renovations to a house in Estate Whim providing temporary housing to homeless men: $17,970;
— Armapavie Baseball field lighting: Funding to put in outdoor lighting at the baseball field at no. 50 Castle Coakley: $87,000;
— Catholic Charities Homeless Housing: Matching funds for Catholic Charities of the Virgin Islands to build permanent housing for the homeless on St. Croix: $30,000;
— Catholic Charities Bethlehem House, St. Croix: Funding to renovate St.
Croix’s Bethlehem House emergency shelter for men: $160,000;
— Estate Grove Training Facility: Funds to Helping Children Work to build a center to expand their current after-school program: $121,104; and
— Women's Coalition of St. Croix: To rehabilitate several vacant lots of Fisher Street in Christiansted for parking and office space: $197,397.
Note: In several of the following grants, the amount listed does not include sums held by DPNR for drawdown. The organizations will actually receive more funding through DPNR, in some cases as much as $30,000. The specific amounts in all cases were not immediately available.
Back Talk Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.
