Communities Honored
for Affordable Housing Investment
“These communities have formed partnerships to make affordable
housing
development a key economic development strategy and a cornerstone for
future
growth,” said Danielle Hill, executive director of the Association.
“Please
join me in thanking each of these community leaders for their
collaborative,
visionary action and commitment to community development.”
Bassett was honored
for fifteen years of housing
improvement work, resulting in an estimated $8
million in economic impact for the community. The town has benefited
from more
homeowners, new and improved housing stock, and support for local
businesses,
including the hardware store, plumbers, electricians, and contractors.
O’Neill garnered
its award for several innovative projects, including a rental housing
inspection program that has been used as a model for other communities.
The
program helps to assure safety for tenants and protects the investments
of property
owners.
Stuart claims job
creation as part of the economic growth resulting from its housing
construction
and rehabilitation programs. Affordable housing construction and
renovation has
been a community priority since the 1970’s and several local
construction
businesses have developed over the years to meet the area’s housing
needs.
Established in 1996, the
Nebraska Housing Developers Association has a membership base of more
than 60
organizations working to strengthen the
state’s
economic vitality by making safe, affordable housing available to all
Nebraskans. The Association provides technical assistance and
training, leads statewide education and advocacy efforts, and partners
in
collaborative housing initiatives. Visit www.housingdevelopers.org
for
more information.
For
Immediate Release
CITY
OF O'NEILL RECEIVES PETER KIEWIT FOUNDATION FUNDS
City Clerk Johnston announced that the
City has received a $24,000 Peter Kiewit Foundation grant to help
offset the cost of purchasing the historic lights planned for
downtown O'Neill. The City is appreciative of the Chamber of
Commerce for their assistance in planning for this project and their
efforts to raise
$24,000 for this matching grant. The project is slated to be
completed this fall or early winter.
Partnership Brings New Home
Construction
To City of
An
outstanding partnership effort between the Central Nebraska Economic
Development, Inc.(CNED, Inc.), the City of
Central
Nebraska Economic Development, Inc., a non-profit housing organization,
has
been awarded $420,200 by the Nebraska Department of Economic
Development for
Phase I of a two-phase project. Phase I
will
build 8 new homes in O’Neill in a new subdivision called Country Clover
Estates. Six of the homes will be
downpayment assistance homes, targeted for families with household
incomes up
to 100% of the area median income, and 2 homes will be market rate for
households with no income restrictions.
Country Clover Estates is located on
“The
City of
Local
employers, including Avera St. Anthony’s
Hospital,
Midwest Ethanol Producers, 21st Century Growers and Non-Pareil, identified housing as an important
component to
recruiting and retaining employees, which prompted the support by local
employers.
“
“We
were overwhelmed by the support received on this project, and are
pleased to be
a part of this unique housing project in O’Neill. While
Excel has had extensive experience in
affordable housing projects throughout the
Excel
Development Group, a development and consulting firm headquartered in
Lincoln,
has a proven history of working with non-for-profit housing
organizations,
community organizations, and city, county and state agencies to find
innovative
solutions to producing high-quality, affordable housing.
They have completed 625 affordable units
throughout
Local
lumberyards, building contractors and subcontractors are encouraged to
contact
Judy Petersen to be included on a list of interested home construction
providers. Bids for general contractors
with the capacity to oversee the building of 8 to19 single-family units
will be
sought later this year. An informational
meeting will be scheduled sometime early November to inform
lumberyards, building
contractors and subcontractors about the project and the bidding
process.
For
Immediate Release
City of
O’Neill, NE – The Nebraska Department of
Roads and Safe
Routes Nebraska recently
announced that the City of
The City of
City Clerk Nikki Johnston
states, “As
our comprehensive
plan indicates, a pedestrian movement system is a critical element in
any
infrastructure, it enhances walking opportunities as well as affording
children
and students an outdoor surface on which they can play and transport
themselves
in a safe manner with regard to vehicular traffic. These
program funds give the City the
opportunity for that infrastructure to be constructed on a larger
scale.”
Recent studies show that
childhood obesity rates have more
than tripled in the past 30 years, while the number of children walking
and
biking to school has declined. According to the 2001 National Household
Travel
Survey, less than 16 percent of students between the ages of 5 and 15
walked or
biked to or from school, compared to 42 percent in 1969.
Through the 2005 passage
of the
Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A
Legacy for
Users (SAFETEA-LU), Congress designated a total of $612 million toward
developing the National Safe Routes to School Program.
The Safe Routes Nebraska
program will
receive approximately $1 million in funds annually (federal fiscal
years
2005-2009) from the National Safe Routes to School Program to build
safer
routes to school and promote walking and biking statewide—and schools
and
communities across the state are eligible to apply for a portion of
these
funds.
For additional information,
please visit the following web site:
www.SafeRoutesNE.org