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HomeMy WebLinkAbout097 88 ( (., -< ¿,¡c,:,;_,;': l. : .-:~.." -'-, ,~; ,:/)(/ " "''1/'\'' STATE OF WASHINGTON COUNTY OF 3EFFERSON In the matter of x RESOLUTION. NO.97-88 Approval of the Citizen Participation/Community Development Plan u A u A x WHEREAS, the community's housing and community development needs for low and moderate income residents have been presented to the Board, at a public hearing held August 15, 1988, and at such time testimony was taken from persons at the hearing, and WHEREAS, hearing notices for the above mentioned hearing were duly and timely advertised in the county newspaper and notices were posted in conspicuous places of public gathering, and WHEREAS, the above mentioned hearing took place in the chambers of the Board of County Commissioners at the County Courthouse, which is accessible to the handicapped population and, WHEREAS, the above mentioned hearing was located in a place convenient to the general population, and is the place in which county business and public hearings are known to take place on a regular basis, and WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Board to provide accom- modation for. non-english speaking residents when necessary, and WHEREAS, it is the policy of the Board to provide for responses to written grievances for any Board policy or decision within ten working days, NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of County Commissioners accepts the Citizen Participation/Community Development Plan as attached as Exhibit "A", and iûL 14 &" : 1 ,~ ~ ~ (r ..J ') 36'') 'J ' ,A.i FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of County Commis- sioners accepts that the needs of the community are best served by the' renovation of the Port Townsend Community Center,which serves all citizens of Jefferson County,as expressed by the citizens participating in the public hearing. ADOPTED THIS ;2~ DAY OF~" , 1988. . , . , . SEAL: A~EST: / '.¡ùL BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ~) B.G. Brown, Chairman ~ý--l' ~~ George C. <)rown lA, ~r" Lf. f r ., . n 336:1- u EXHIBIT "A" COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN JEFFERSON COUNTY SUMMARY Public Hearing: The hearing for citizen views to be presented in relation to the proposed community development block grant was held August 15, 1988, at the chambers of the Jefferson County Commissioners at the county courthouse in Port Townsend, Washington. Notices of the proposed hearing were advertised in the local newspaper, the Port Townsend Leader, twice in succession, two weeks prior to the meeting date. Affidavits of publication are attached to this document. As a matter of policy for any project involving low- moderate income families the Clallam-Jefferson Community Action Council Port Townsend section was notified and a notice of the proposed hearing was posted in their offices. Proposed hearing notices were also posted in the Port Townsend Community Center, Port Townsend City Hall, and the Jefferson County Courthouse, two weeks in advance of the meeting. These are the main centers for public hearing notices, and combined reach the largest number of citizens as well as low-moderate income families. Attached to this document are minutes of the meeting as it transpired. As part of the planning for the public hearing, the Community Action Council director was contacted regarding the immediacy of housing needs and plans for community development for low and moderate income families. The county was informed that currently no requests for grant funding were to be made. In terms of community needs and planning,attached are excerpts from the "Needs Assess- ment Survey for 1987 from the Clallam-Jefferson Community Action Council". Also as a matter of policy, the Board of County Commissioners provides interpreters for non-English speaking residents. There were none present at the time of the hearing. STRATEGY STATEMENT Needs: The needs addressed by the proposed renovation of the community center are as follows: 1. Centralized location of many senior services that are currently in many different locations. 2. Expansion of space for senior nutrition, and social and recreational needs of senior citizens. 3. Essential building safety needs, for a more healthful, efficient and useful center. 4. Effective classroom space for Head Start children and parents. 1 .L iùL {! 4: 'H~ 1 t i'~'!~. r p 3364 d 5. Handicap inaccessibility to restrooms and basement floor. 6. Resolution of conflicting space usage with adults and teens. 7. Pleasing interior and exterior spaces. 8. Adequate and accessible parking facilities. Proposed Project: The proposed project would renovate all portions of the center excepting the gymnasium. An additional 1200 sq. ft. addition will alleviate the existing space problems by allowing for expansion of the senior programs upstairs, and add space in the basement for segregated teen activities. Many safety hazards would be eliminated, and heating efficiency would be increased by replacement of the heating system. New restrooms up and down stairs will be hand- icapped accessible. Entrances will all be accessible by the handicapped. New parking lot design and handicap parking spaces will be created. The Senior Center Association, the Senior Nutrition Program (operated by Community Action Council) and Head Start will co-manage portions of the center. This will enable that control of portions of the center will be in the hands of those responsible for filling low and moderate income resident needs, and provide for the most effective space utilization of the center. Relationship of Identified Communlty Needs and CDBG: In January and February of 1987, a needs assessment study was done through the Clallam-Jefferson Community Action Council. The study in its entirety is available; highlights are excerpted for the benefit of this plan. These excerpts show that the county had made efforts to identify the needs of low and moderate income residents, and will continue to strive to provide for the best utilization of its resources. "Interviews with CAC program staff and administrators, and with selected key informants, provided information on providers' perceptions of needs and overall area issues and problems. Other information on context was compiled from the 1980 U.S. census, and data from the Washington State Employment Security Depart- ment, Department of Social and Health Services, and Office of Financial Management. Population figures derive from projections based on the 1980 census and arc not current counts. Similarly, population characteristics also are drawn directly from 1980 census data; they do not take into account changes in the "> L. 'Jot lA 'u, . 'i fr'''. "r'l',) 3"} C" L '.~ ,'u~.h,J! intervening years and are used here only because more current information is not available. Finally, the published research literature concerning low income and senior needs, especially in rural areas, was reviewed and used for a national and theoretical context."Page 2 of report. "- Seniors (77 respondents over age 60) tended to city fewer needs than the general survey population, with the sole exception being need for help with home repairs/maintenance (32.5%). Other than utilities, the highest priority senior needs were for medical and dental care and low-cost food." FRm.1 "HIGHLIGHTS OF RESULTS: NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY 1987", PAGE 1. "All residents of Clallam and Jefferson Counties do not share equally in the benefits of the region's economy. In 1987, however, it is difficult to correctly gauge the magnitude of impoverishment: the only available overall statistics on the extent of poverty in the area come from the 1980 census. At that time, Clallam County has 7522 residents (14.8% of its total population below 125% of the poverty line; 5172 of these were persons below 100% of the poverty line (10.2% of the total population). In Jefferson County, the proportion in poverty was even higher, with 2766 individuals (17.7%) at 125% of poverty and 2018 (12.9%) at the poverty line. "Page 8 of report. "Survey respondents were asked to identify from a list of 15 items all the things they might need for themselves and their families at this time.. .The sample's most common response was, naturally enough, need for help with utilities...Health care needs were a major concern for survey respondents. Dental care was selected by 55.1% and medical care by 35.2% as a current need.. .The remaining needs identified by more than 100 persons, or at least 16% of the survey population, include low cost food (50.6%), help finding employment (26.25%), low cost housing (22.8%), inexpensive transportation (22.5%), and furniture (16.2%). Respondents also were asked to rant these needs according to the two they felt were most important: the top two items out of those cited above were low-cost food and help finding employment." Page 13 of report. "The cost and quality of the area's housing were problems repeatedly pointed out by both survey respondents and service providers. The small cities and communities of Clallam and Jefferson Counties do not lend themselves to the development of low income housing. Aside from a limited stock of -project' housing, inexpensive shelter is hard to find and can be located anywhere in the counties, making a personal sources of reliable transportation a necessary accompaniment. Low cost housing was a need city most frequently by survey respondents who were younger, divorced, and single parents who were heads of household." Page 17 of report. ~ oJ ,Jot 14 i^(,f [J . 336t; This document cites the local efforts made to address the low and moderate income residents needs. By reference, this document is an important part of the charge of the county to regularly address the needs of low and moderate income residents. Before the Community Development Block Grant was presented at the public hearing for comment, county staff confirmed that no other larger need of block grant funding was anticipated by Community Action Council, which directly administers to the needs of those residents. 4 '.;01_ 14 í ACÇ n L~ 3367