Left In Lowell

The City of Lowell Division of Planning and Development is holding its annual Public Hearing for CBDG, HOME and ESG grant applicants next Thursday, January 10, 2008. It will begin at 6:00 p.m. and take place at the Lowell Senior Center, 276 Broadway Street.

Applicants are given three minutes each to present their proposals to the Citizen Advisory Committee but anyone interested in speaking on any of these grant applications are allowed to speak; you just need to contact the DPD office at 978-336-7200.

Here is the list of this year’s Citizen Advisory Committee; this year five new members joined the committee to replace those whose terms have expired.

Last year the DPD had posted on the City’s web site, the list of applicants who were signed up to speak and the order of the presentation but I could not find it on the site this year. It may take up to 4 – 5 hours for all applicants to speak.
If you are interested in reading last year’s action plan and see how the funds were distributed, the 209-page *pdf file , Action Plan is available on the City’s web site.

The City is anticipating that there will be about $3,450,000 available for fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008 and ending June 20, 2009. The Citizen’s Advisory Committee will make its recommendations to the City Manager who in turn will present the final distribution list to the City Council for approval. All this takes a few months and there are plenty of opportunities for appeal, review and commentary.

If you have a few minutes on the 10th, I would strongly suggest you stop by the Senior Center and observe this public gathering. First the City’s e and entire, and I mean the entire, non-profit community is there, so there is a lot to learn; second it is your money and you should understand how and where it is spent. Also, if you are a non-profit and are thinking of participating in the process next year, it is imperative that you come and observe.