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Show tf r ffeaf,iwiigTf iiV ita- iriifiiiiFii air njr ir iiaSlf Yiaiiiiir aifcaftfTitTTiiriiiTiittiitfr 'iiBiBWfnMiiir"irit jTffir Yi' salt lake Jtfi 'liM i ifrfif 'if u" y - &" free not for sale volume one april 20, 1972 number thirty-fiv- e HUD Reviews Salt Lake Program The Model City Joint Board of Commissioners met with Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) representatives at their weekly meeting April 19. David Witt and Howard number one priority, with maybe, housing second and so on down the line," he said. The question of over-al- l strategy to be used in solving the identified Kutzer, Community problems was not clearly defined, Witt advised the Commissioners. Development representatives, be an "There seems to were in Salt Lake City to review plans for the second action year which is scheduled to begin May 1, 1972. The representatives spent Tuesday, April 18 meeting with Model City staff members, residents and operating agency personnel to determine if funded projects were meeting the needs of the community and the requirements of HUD as well as generally reviewing the Salt Lake program. Witt told the Commissioners there were a number of questions presented at the Tuesday session, some were answered and some were not. Primarily HUD is interested in whether or not the original $3 million given to the Salt Lake Model City program made any impact on the area. He said it was almost impossible to determine what effect the program has had until all projects have been evaluated. There had been no evaluation until February, 1972. He was also concerned about the method used to select projects for funding in Salt Lake. "There's no apparent method being used. You're just doing what the citizens seem to want,'' he said. HUD also looks at what other cities and towns can learn from each demonstration program and Witt said Salt Lake can obtain this type of information to use in its own program. At the Tuesday meeting, he said, citizens would not respond "one way or the other" as to any effect the Model City program has had in the model neighborhood. He questioned why there were so many projects in operation and why the Salt Lake agency had not established over-al- l priorities for the attitude this city and on the part of the Joint Board that if the citizens want it, they should have in it. The result is too many projects," he said. While there were questions unanswered in the program, Witt was optimistic about the Salt Lake Model City agency but warned, "We're looking for a much better effort next year. If the program looks the same next we would strongly recommend that there not be a third action year in Salt Lake." year, HUD review was conducted at Northwest Photos by Roger Taylor Center. appeared too vague, he said, and this makes it very difficult to write contracts or to evaluate each project. He suggested more detailed descriptions and stronger goals for operating agencies. There are also about fourteen projects which seem to be duplications and these must be clarified before HUD can make a determination if they should continue, he advised. The representative felt there was "a lot of hope for the program" and that the agency had a good director and a qualified staff. At this point, Joint Board Chairman Ralph Y. McClure, expressed strong feelings about HUD staff coming into Salt Lake City and telling local people what they should do with Model Cities money. "You tell our program and give us money to solve our problems, then you come here and say that the federal government will control the program and decide w hats best for Salt Lake," he said. He continued by saying that us this is the citizens have been working year on the program and HUD is now viewing much of their effort as meaningless. Witt disagreed, stating he was for a f simply been fitting projects into dollars available. He emphasized that the Commissioners have made many attempts to work' with citizens and the staff link of attempts to be an communication between the citizens and local government. Grundfossen said he felt Project descriptions on-goin- residents, g agency and commissioners must work more closely together toward better program. "If the Joint Board is going to (suddenly take control of the program don't want any part of it. This is a citizen's program," building a I David Witt, HUD, questions some aspects of Salt Lake Model Cities program. McClure said. He explained that local government has been telling people "what's best for them" for 20 years and "we haven't accomplished a blooming thing." the program is to be truly successful and not simply a "shot-gun- " approach with no dramatic or lasting results. Witt said, generally, Model Cities is a program designed to Pete Grundfossen, Model decisions but to provide for strong citizen input in their answered if City Director, said he felt the program was not as bad as it might sound and that HUD was only questioning the value of having so many projects and why there wasn't tighter dove-tailinof projects with better planning. "I feel we can provide g evidence that many of our projects do fit together," he said. The program. only raising some questions priorities "Some cities see resident employment - jobs - as the which the citizens and the Commissioners should also want Board or and that question of over-al- l had not occurred to the to the staff, he added, up to now they had Pete Grundfossen, director of Model Cities program, says "We must bring residents and the commissioners together." give elected officials the responsibility decision-making- of making . The evaluation of all projects should be completed in one month, Grundfossen said, and this would enable everyone to make improvements and changes. "The most serious problem we have," he added, "is that we tend to polarize the residents from the commissioners. We must work this out." One important accomplishment which has come out of the Model Cities program is the coordination of city and county government, Grundfossen said. Mel Darton, Model City Deputy Director, said another point in Salt Lake's favor were the hours (over 11,000) donated by residents to plan and implement the program. This amount of time compares favorably with other cities which pay residents to attend meetings. |