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Sanders County Commissioners met last week with members of the public and community organizations for a public hearing to assess community needs. The meeting included representatives from Mission West Community Development Partners (MWCDP), Sanders County Community Development Corporation (SCCDC) and Sanders County Community Housing Organization (SCCHO). The public hearing served as an opportunity for MWCDP, the regional lead, to inform the community on the status of funding for programs and projects related to community and economic development.

“We want to understand and hear about the projects that are happening in Sanders County,” said Community and Economic Development Adviser Billie Lee. “We can also come in and help businesses who are in startup and expansion mode.” Lee said with the help of the organization’s partners, which include Lake, Mineral and Sanders counties, along with portions of Flathead Reservation, they can provide various services to the region such as training workshops, one-on-one technical assistance, and access to various development programs.

For organizations looking to apply for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Lee said the meeting served as the first of two required public hearings in order for projects to be considered for funding.

Along with outlining requirements of Montana’s CDBG Program, MWCDP also provided insight on accessing grants and funding from sources other than CDBG. As a condition for receiving funds from a CDBG, local governments must certify eligible projects principally benefit low-to-moderate income (LMI) Montanans; defined as families and individuals whose household income does not exceed 80% of area median income. An amendment to the originally established act in 1974, permits states to provide CDBG funds to cities, towns and counties with a population of fewer than 50,000 residents.

There are three different funding sources under the CDBG Program organizations can apply for, including Montana’s CDBG Planning Program, which Lee says population is a stipulation for this source of funding. According to MWCDP, CDBG planning grants may be used for preparation of plans, studies, training and research in growth policies. Lee says the state has two CDBG planning grants that are given out on an annual basis. CDBG offers two distinct types of housing grants available to Sanders County. A large-scale, multi-family housing development and rehabilitation grant, which is said to be a competitive grant intended for construction of large, affordable housing projects.

The second grant, a small-scale, single-family housing rehabilitation grant, is a noncompetitive pool of funds available for a period of five years. Local governments are eligible to receive funds for construction or rehabilitation of owner-occupied or rental units that benefit LMI households, MWCDP says.

The third source of funding comes from Montana’s CDBG public and community facilities program. These grants fund construction or rehabilitation of infrastructure and facilities that primarily benefit LMI Montanans.

MWCDP says a different approach is needed in these extraordinary times when looking for other sources of funding. “We want to help match projects we hear of to potential sources,” Lee said. “The renewable resources projects, I believe, are underused in this part of the state.” Grant funding from the Montana Arts Council can be used toward farmer’s markets and small farming equipment. Funding from this department has also helped develop the meatpacking businesses in the area. An additional source of funding to consider will be coming from COVID-19 relief. Lee says there will be COVID-19 relief dollars coming down the pike, but specific guidelines to apply for funding have yet to be released.

MWCDP Executive Director Jim Thaden says this is an opportunity to apply for excess funds. “We should think big and think now,” he said. “It’s important to get a list together, that’s the immediate job before us,” Thaden said, referring to community projects who have potential of receiving relief funding. He continued, “It’s a different task to get from a good idea, to where you can submit for money.” The executive director said he hopes, collectively, organizations can pull resources together and prioritize needs of the community in order to capitalize on funding coming available in the near future. “We need to dedicate ourselves, this is our priority,” he stated.

On the federal side of funding, Lee says Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) dollars for disaster recovery, planning and mitigation will be available to Sanders County. “Relative to infrastructure and changes that are needed, every county in Montana has been declared a disaster area,” Lee said. As funding from FEMA becomes available, the normal approach for seeking out grants may need to change. “We now need to look at what’s outside the box and ask what are the possibilities here,” Lee said.

MWCDP opened the floor to community input for potential projects brought to the public hearing. Both city and county officials, Sanders County organizations and private citizens made up the handful of attendees who voiced projects they want to see funded. Karen Thorson, a Paradise Center committee member, was at last week’s public hearing to present a status report and capital needs for the center. “We want to preserve the integrity of the 1910 building,” Thorson said. “We also want to repurpose the site as a community, visitor and arts center.”

After a Preliminary Architectural Report done in 2019, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system should be installed at the Paradise Center. It was also recommended for the board to install an elevator with access to all floors, which would grant full ADA accessibility.

Thorson said they have a historic preservation grant pending under HB 12. “We are No. 12 in line out of 90 applications,” Thorson said. The boiler, she said, is one of the center’s biggest liabilities right now. “The boiler was installed in the 1930s. It’s not only outdated, but it’s also failing, Thorson expressed. “If that boiler fails in the winter, we run the risk of frozen pipes and it’s stifling hot in the summer.” A new system, Thorson says, is estimated to be $120,000. Even though The Paradise Center has a pending grant through M.J. Murdoch, funding would only cover half the expenses. While the board continues to search for funding for system updates, “keeping the integrity of the 1910 school building is a paramount goal.”

Now that local community members and organizations have expressed their needs at the public hearing, the job now rests on the shoulders of MWCDP and SCCDC to match appropriate funding sources to the projects. “Essentially what we were there to do was to hear the public express what they think would benefit the community,” SCCDC Executive Director Ray Brown said. “The life cycle of a project begins with an idea.” Brown says the job now is to compile an official list of projects presented at the public hearing and identify various sources of funding. “We now need to prioritize these projects that could potentially be funded through various grant opportunities,” he stated. The job of prioritizing, Brown says, is not an easy one, “we just have to look at the big picture.”

While the workload of applying for funding is the job of the organizations, Brown says the SCCDC is there to advise and provide assistance. “We are here to support them in seeing the project through,” Brown said.