Amendments proposed at public hearing for Community Development Grant 

Last Monday, the Planning Department proposed two amendments to Waltham’s Annual Action Plan for the Community Development Block Grant.

The grant allows municipalities and nonprofits to tap into federal money to fund projects that benefit moderate to low-income individuals. 

The Planning Department acts as a grant manager, doling out CDBG funds to nonprofits under the approval of the federal government. The Annual Action Plan determines the amount of money each nonprofit can receive and the requirements surrounding the disbursement of the funds.

An increase in Chesterbrook Community Foundation funds

The first proposal was to increase CDBG funding for the replacement of energy-efficient windows at the Chesterbrook Community Foundation Learning Center.

The Chesterbrook Community Foundation provides after-school programs to children living at Chesterbrook Gardens, a state-subsidized apartment complex located at 22 Brookway Road.

The nonprofit requested additional CDBG funding after their projected project budget rose from $25,000 to over $77,000, according to Frank Nakashian, the city’s principal planner.

“The project was estimated at $32,700 and then the project bids came in at $87,300,” Nakashian wrote in an email.

This is a project budget increase of over 25 percent, Nakashian explained, which requires a public hearing process to gather feedback from residents and approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

As such, the public will have until Aug. 14 to submit comments and concerns about the proposal before the Planning Department sends it to HUD for review and approval.

While this comment period provides a space for the public to point out any grievances or concerns they have about the project, it can lengthen the funding reallocation process.

Reducing public comment delays

The second proposed amendment would raise the threshold at which an increase to a nonprofit’s CDBG-funded project budget triggers a required 30-day public comment period to 45 percent or more.

According to Nakashian, this will streamline the process, allowing more construction projects that have higher-than-expected cost estimates to receive additional funding in a more timely manner.

Zero in attendance

These amendments, while significant, did not draw an audience.

Nakashian told The Times that no one showed up for the public hearing at Government Center.

Low attendance is not uncommon for Waltham’s CDBG meetings. Only six people attended public meetings on Jan. 2, where the Planning Department gathered feedback for the city’s application with the federal government for CDBG funds.

Attendance rose later that month but remained relatively low. With the release of the applications for nonprofits, a total of 12 people attended virtual and in-person informational sessions on Jan. 9.

Even though no one attended the meeting, the public still has a chance to submit comments about the amendments to walthamcdbg@city.waltham.ma.us.