OLYMPIA – Thurston County is soliciting proposed projects for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. CDBG General Purpose Grants are provided through the Washington State Department of Commerce, which serves small cities and rural areas. The annual application process for CDBG General Purpose Grants begins in November with applications due to the state March 1, 2012 with awards announced in June 2012.
A maximum of $1,000,000 may be available to the county on a statewide competitive basis for General Purpose Grant Projects for public facility, community facility, housing rehabilitation, economic development, and comprehensive projects requiring a combination of eligible activities. Projects must meet one of the following criteria for the unincorporated area of Thurston County:
- Must principally benefit low-and moderate income persons at or below 80 percent of the county median income
- Prevent or eliminate slums or blight
- Meet an urgent need to protect public health and safety
- At least 51% of the project beneficiaries must be documented as being full-time residents and low-and moderate income
Those interested in applying must complete a Request for Proposal application and submit it to the county no later than 5:00 P.M. November 21, 2011. The Thurston County board of County Commissioners will conduct a public hearing on December 6 at 5:30 P.M. to hear project presentations and take public testimony. The hearing will take place in Room 280, Building 1 of the Thurston County Courthouse. Projects will be evaluated on the basis of the completeness of applications and readiness to proceed. Following the hearing, the Commissioners will select one project to sponsor for CDBG funding.
Applicants may attend the CDBG Application Workshop on November 15, 2011 at 9:30 am at the DSHS Bldg-Capitol View 1, 712 Pear Street Seat Quince Street Entrance, Olympia. Please RSVP to Department of Commerce by November 8, 2011 if you are attending the workshop: cdpsupport@commerce.wa.gov If you have any questions, please call Connie Rivera at 360-867-2532 or email at riverac@co.thurston.wa.us
