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Show iMon Grant In State Hmds By TOM BLSSEI.BHRG North County Editor FARMINGTON Layton's hopes for a reconsideration recon-sideration of its block grant proposal are now in the hands of the state. A MEETING with county mayors and commissioners last week to provide "informa-t "informa-t tion" netted virtually no sympathy sym-pathy one month after the body reviewed 18 block grant proposals worth more than $2 million and pared the selection down to fit the $850,000 available. avail-able. Layton had submitted a request re-quest for $388,867 or nearly half the total in grant monies. The funding was asked for a downtown redevelopment project that would've seen revamping re-vamping of the street as well as sidewalks and other beautifi-cation beautifi-cation efforts. It was the second time around for the request. re-quest. Eight projects did receive re-ceive approval. WHILE IT was inferred Layton might take legal ,-ction over the procedures ustl in making the grant selections, Mayor Lewis G. Shielos emphasized in a telephone interview in-terview that, "the only thing we're doing is waiting to see what the state does." That word isn't expected on grant approvals until mid-May. Although an appeals procedure proce-dure apparently is in place for action such as Layton's, Mayor Shields said he doesn't believe it's ever been tried before. be-fore. This is only the second year of the grants due to Presi-dent Presi-dent Reagan'a decentralization decentraliza-tion program, removing it from federal control to local and state administration. CLARK Adams, chairman of the Layton Downtown Re-habilitation Re-habilitation committee, addressed the mayors pinpointing pin-pointing three problems he felt arose with the decisionmaking decision-making process. "It's about an impossible task in few days to review the stack of grants and make critical decisions that affect so many in such a short time." He questioned that ability faced with the "technical, even ambiguous nature of the grant itself and further talked about the "complicated nature of the ballot." EMPHASIZING the city doesn't "doubt the worthiness" worthin-ess" of those grants approved, he questioned qualification to ,'ttributes by some projects, ai'hough he and the mayor both indicated they felt improvements im-provements had been made since the first go-around last year. "I suppose you feel your project was more worthy," Farmington Mayor Merrill R. Petty said, asking, "Do any of you have a personal interest if it's funded?" MR. CLARK responded he would along with other businessmen busi-nessmen with Council of Governments Gov-ernments Chairman Norm Sant adding that Council-woman Council-woman Ann Harris, who also has been involved in the appeal, owns a store that fronts on Gentile, just east of Main and the area in question in Layton. "I think everyone who participated par-ticipated did the very best in choosing what was most needful need-ful (of funding)," Mayor Petty continued. His city received $200,000 for a new public safety safe-ty complex. "I'm very disappointed dis-appointed you'd come back and make an appeal-I feel it's sour grapes." CENTERVILLE Mayor Neil Blackburn also questioned ques-tioned the grant proposal. "The knowledge I had of the particular project" why couldn't other grants be pursued pur-sued or a redevelopment agency agen-cy set up, such as safe sidewalk side-walk monies. "There were a couple means to accomplish this objective (funding)," he went on, asking whether the businessmen could be involved in-volved in providing funding. Mr. Clark said "a great deal of criticism" had been received re-ceived by the city council for organizing a redevelopment agency a year or so ago. "It came to the point the RDA received re-ceived a bad connotation in the public's eyes." Mayor Shields said he believed be-lieved a technical committee should be set up to review the proposals. A separate committee commit-tee did that in 1982 but it was felt the whole group should be included to provide a fuller picture pic-ture and less chance for bias last month. "LAYTON will do what they feel is best and we will do what we feel's best," Mayor Sant said. "I didn't believe this review should disqualify ourselves. We've gone through it" but added that possibly five points could be deducted for cities who'd already received funding on grants, for example, to more easily spread them out. |
