LOGAN – City officials here will be accepting applications for federal Community Development Block Grants through Friday, Feb. 28 as part of the Logan’s Annual Action Plan for 2025.
Without a formal vote, the members of the Logan Municipal Council reviewed the priorities for the city’s Annual Action Plan (AAP) for Project Year 2025 during a public hearing at their regular meeting on Jan. 21.
“This will be the second year of the Logan’s 2024-2028 consolidated plan,” according to Mike DeSimone, the city’s director of community development.
“The purpose of this public hearing,” he explained, “is to help inform the local Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Steering Committee when they meet to determine what areas of the city should be emphasized, the types of projects that should be accomplished this year and what services or programs may be lacking.”
The steering committee must also be mindful of what particular groups of low- to moderate-income Logan residents may be in need of services and what specific planning projects city officials may consider, DeSimone added.
Only inveterate council-watcher Josh M. Molitor spoke briefly during the public hearing on the annual action plan.
The federal Community Development Block Grant program is one of the longest-running initiatives of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It funds local community efforts with the stated goal of providing affordable housing, anti-poverty projects and infrastructure improvements.
Like other block grant programs, CDBG differs from categorical grants in that they are subject to less federal oversight and are largely spent at the discretion of state and local governments.
DeSimone said that Logan anticipates receiving approximately $560,000 in CDBG funding during the 2025 project year.
The allocation of that funding was developed based on priorities included in the overall five-year Consolidated Plan adopted in 2024.
About 60 percent of the anticipated CDBG funding ($336,000) will be allocated to contributing to suitable living environments in low- to moderate-income areas of the city.
The majority of that money – about $280,000 — will be directed toward installation of new sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, crosswalks for disabled persons, park improvements, public art, community gardens, improved lighting and traffic control measures.
The other $56,000 will fund the removal of access/mobility barriers.
The city’s consolidated plan calls for another 20 percent of the anticipated CDBG funding ($112,000) to be allocated to improvement of the capacity of community service providers, with those funds evenly distributed between facility improvements and public service activities.
The remaining 20 percent of the CDBG funding (another $112,000) will be allocated to administration and planning.
DeSimone said that they city will host a workshop for potential CDBG applicants on Feb. 12 and accept those applications for funding through Feb. 28.
The Logan CDBG Steering Committee will meet to review those applications on Mar. 25, with a public comment period to follow from April 5 to May 6.
A public hearing on the adoption of the 2025 Annual Action Plan will be held on May 6.
Questions about the CDGB Annual Action Plan can be director to Amanda Pearce, the city’s CDBG coordinator, by calling 435-716-9021 or going online to amanda.pearce@loganutah.gov