Comprehensive CDBG

During Fiscal Year 1995, the Village of McGraw became our smallest customer, based on population, to capture a comprehensive Community Development Block Grant. At the time, the Village had a population of 1,074 persons. A comprehensive CDBG focuses on a number of interrelated activities, as opposed to a single purpose CDBG which focuses primarily on a single eligible activity.

The Village received a grant award of $793,407 to undertake four main projects. The first activity was the rehabilitation of substandard homes occupied by low to moderate income households in a targeted area of the Village in and around East and West Center Street, South Street, and Clinton Street. Center Street was completely reconstructed. This work included new drainage and catch basins, new sidewalks, curbs, trees, and pavement. The Village leveraged the street work by replacing the aged water main in the area.

In the same neighborhood, the Village had been operating a senior center in its former fire station. The building was not handicapped accessible, especially to the meeting room on the second floor, and senior citizens in wheelchairs accessed the first floor by someone opening the large overhead doors. This was a very energy inefficient way of entering the building in the winter months. A small, local manufacturer, also located in the subject neighborhood, was interested in expanding his business and approached the Village wanting to purchase the Old Fire Station. This building sale to Refrigerated Transport Electronics, a manufacturer of refrigerated transport equipment, would facilitate new business expansion and the creation of 20 new jobs over three years. Proceeds from the sale of the old fire building would allow the Village of McGraw to construct a new senior citizen building, also located in this same targeted neighborhood. The application, therefore, included a loan to RTE to purchase the building.

An 8,000 square foot senior center was built in the Village Park upon the successful closing of the business loan to RTE. Additional funding for the project included a $25,000 member item from NYS Senator James Seward and a $15,000 donation from the former Catholic Church that had closed in the Village. This senior center building is handicapped accessible and continues to be the site of a number of needed senior citizen programs, most notably a successful Cortland County Nutrition Program.

The coincidence of one small area in a small village needing so much eligible work was a very unusual circumstance for Thoma. We were very pleased to have assisted the Village in the successful grant application process and administration. Pictured below is the Village’s senior center building.