New Funding Found For Groveland and Tuolumne Resiliency Centers
Groveland, CA – California Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) officials have come up with a solution to the funding gap for the Tuolumne and Groveland Community Resilience Centers.
As reported here in May, the supervisors gave the green light to continue planning for the two community resilience centers with $19-million in federal funds awarded through the National Disaster Resilience Competition in the wake of the Rim Fire. However, in the months following, due to rising construction costs and unavoidable project delays, the originally awarded funding was deemed insufficient forcing the county to look at cuts to the site plans. Deputy County Administrator Maureen Frank notes those included potentially reducing the number of parking spaces, having non-paved parking, significantly reducing the landscaping, eliminating an outdoor amphitheater/walking trail, installing a standard non-commercial kitchen, etc.
Instead, Frank says HCD is amending their agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to utilize an extra $5 million dollars towards the Groveland center. The additional Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) monies are a result of funds that have either not been utilized or have been paid back through loans the State made on other projects, according to Frank, who excitedly notes this will assist the county in constructing the two centers as originally planned.
In order to receive the money, HCD must create a Neighborhood Stabilization Program Action Plan Amendment and hold a public hearing on this amendment to include the community of Groveland. In quick response, Frank has announced that the hearing will be held during the Supervisors regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, January 7th at 1:30 p.m., and the public is encouraged to attend.
County staff can now begin Phase II of the project. Frank says that includes contracting with Bay Area Lionakis architectural firm and Cox Consulting, a financial and accounting firm, along with purchasing the property for these facilities. She expects the design work to take five months and bidding to last two months, with an additional 14 months of construction for a projected completion date for both centers in June 2022.
