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Highlands Today

Fewer Seek Facade Grants In Sebring

Jasmina Meyer/Highlands Today

Larry Moore's home on Rose Street in downtown Sebring received a facade grant to paint the outside, install new windows, asphalt the driveway, and build a backyard patio.

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By MARC VALERO

Highlands Today

Published: September 9, 2008

SEBRING - A Sebring Community Redevelopment Agency façade grant helped Larry and Rachel Moore add a back deck and driveway to their Rose Avenue home they purchased about three years ago.

The historic house was renovated recently and new landscaping added, but those projects were not covered by the façade grant program, Larry Moore said Monday.

With the economic slowdown, fewer homeowners and businesses owners have applied for façade grants in the 2007-08 fiscal year.

"This year the number of applications for the program is down considerably from previous years," said Pete Pollard, Sebring Community Redevelopment Agency executive director. "It's directly related to the economy where people are doing less."

Historically, over the course of the fiscal year, about $80,000 to $100,000 has been available for façade grants, he said. Last year, almost all the budgeted money went to exterior improvements.

With the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, $56,982 remains in the façade grant budget.

Unused money can be used for other things such as the upcoming streetscape project on the Circle, Pollard said.
Sebring CRA Board Chairman Gene Brenner also believes the slow economy has reduced the number of applicants.

"People may not have money to put into refurbishing," he said. A portion of the façade money could be used elsewhere or the unused money could be rolled over into next year's budget.

The façade grant reimbursement is $3,000 or 30 percent, whichever comes first.

If the exterior improvements cost $10,000 or more, a person with an approved grant would receive $3,000 from the CRA. If the project cost less than $10,000, an approved façade grant would reimburse the individual for 30 percent of that cost.

Most of the projects have a total cost considerably more than $10,000, Pollard said.

Applicants must spend a minimum of $1,000 to apply for reimbursement. Work on a proposed project cannot be completed prior to the approval of the application.

Avon Park has a different situation with free facade grants available through the Southside CRA.

Also, the Main Street CRA budgeted a smaller amount this year for façade grants, to focus its efforts on larger improvement projects.

With about $56,000 in its facade budget, the Southside CRA has had about 30 applicants for the free grants, which are available for low-income residents or businesses owners.

The entire Southside façade budget has not been spent, but it has been earmarked for projects, City Clerk Cheryl Tietjen said Monday.

The Southside CRA advisor board, at its meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, could decide to add more money to its façade budget, she said.

"We have been taking down names so that when and if they continue the program then we can contact these people to go ahead with their applications," Tietjen said.

Marc Valero can be reached at 386-5826 or mvalero@highlandstoday.com

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