Deception or Ignorance

While I was handing out flyers this morning I ran into a resident who was informed by an elected official that no fence could be built along the west side of Huron south of Kennedy because the income level of the area did not meet federal requirements.

The reason for this misinformation lies in the fact that the City has been using money from the Community Development Block Grant program to construct a fence along Washington Street instead of using the General Fund. The fencing properly is a General Fund project just as much as streets, medians and parks. There is only one reason the City has been using the CDBG money for the fencing. The Mayor, Council and Manager have been using it for other, soft, overhead purposes.

I would like to quote from the State of Colorado web site the purpose of the CDBG grant program. “The primary objective of the State’s program is the development of viable urban communities, by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment and expanding economic opportunities, principally for persons of low and moderate income.”
(http://www.dola.state.co/ then Local Government then Financial Services and, on the left, CDBG)

In my flyer I state I fully support correcting the encroachment of Croke Reservoir under Huron. Once this problem is corrected, there will be fencing along Huron financed by the General Fund where the expense belongs. The misuse of the CDBG grant program must be halted. The excuse for not constructing the fence is invalid.