Supervisors divvy up Community Development Block Grant funds

The Board of Supervisors on Thursday divvied up Carson City’s annual Community Development Block Grant money.

The city received $470,532 in CDBG funds and an Application Review Work Group made recommendations that the board accepted and approved.

Ron Wood Family Resource Center received $32,000 for its new chronic absenteeism program to work with kids struggling with truancy. Nevada Rural RSVP was awarded $7,500 for an expansion of its veterans services and support program.

Programs at public service agencies can only receive CDBG money for two years unless the program is significantly expanded.

The public project money was divided between Public Works, which received $222,979 to improve access for the disabled on Airport Road, and Parks, Recreation and Open Space, which received $156,000 for its restroom renovation project at Ross Gold Park.

The city is required to allocate at least 65 percent of CDBG money to public projects, which this year received 82 percent of the funding, and cannot give more than 15 percent to public service organizations, which got 8 percent. Ten percent is set aside for grant administration.

The vote was three to approve and two abstentions. Supervisor Stacey Giomi abstained because his employer, Nevada Health Centers, applied for funding, and Supervisor Brad Bonkowsi did not vote because an employee from his real estate office, NAI Alliance, was on the review committee.

The supervisors also accepted the Cultural Commission’s 2019 annual report and 2020 work plan for the city’s arts office run by Mark Salinas, arts and culture coordinator.

Barbara D’Anneo, chair of the Cultural Commission, advocated for a continuation of the city arts and culture office and to add staff. The office was established in 2016 inside the Culture and Tourism Authority and was funded by a 1 percent bump in the transient occupancy tax, which sunsets, or ends, in 2021.

Salinas reviewed the office’s accomplishments in fiscal year 2019, including 90 speaking engagements, a revamped web site, and the Nevada Humanities Rising Star Award for Salinas.

Salinas also put on the Taking Flight art exhibit featuring 53 Carson City artists at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, which he said will take place again next year.

On its work plan for 2020, the arts and culture office plans to complete a project it started last year to write a city public art policy.

The board also approved a $120,050.96 contract with ARMAC Construction LLC for the Fifth Street/Prison Hill Trailhead Improvements Project, funded by a federal grant and Quality of Life funds.

At the start of the brief meeting, the Historic Resources Commission awarded its 2019 Historic Preservation Awards to Patricia Crane for her property at 301 W. 4th St., Paula Cannon for 138 Rice St., Douglas Development, LLC for 410 N. Carson St., and former city supervisor Karen Abowd for outstanding leadership in promoting historic preservation.