MRPC News Release
Feb. 17, 2006
For immediate release
For more information, contact:
Bonnie Prigge or Kelly Sink-Blair, MRPC, (573) 265-2993
IRONDALE FIRE DISTRICT CONDUCTING INCOME SURVEY FOR PROPOSED FIRE STATION
IRIONDALE—Residents of the Irondale Fire Protection District recently received income surveys from the fire department, in an effort to determine and document the district's eligibility to apply for a state Community Development Block Grant to build a new fire station. Residents are asked to complete the survey and return it to the fire district as quickly as possible.
Only those households within the boundaries of the Irondale Fire Protection, and outside the Irondale city limits, will be surveyed. A similar survey was conducted last year for the city of Irondale bridge project, and that information will be used for this grant application as well.
Community Development Block Grant funds are available on a competitive basis annually through the Missouri Department of Economic Development for projects such as this one, explained Connie Willman, MRPC's planning and development manager. The state receives the funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The city must demonstrate that at least 51 percent of its residents are of low to moderate income (LMI) to qualify for state funding. Because there is not a predetermined Census figure for the area that constitutes the Irondale Fire Protection District, the group must survey residents to document the 51 percent LMI requirement.
"We are confident that the fire district area is eligible for grant funding but we really need the help of the residents to prove it," said Kelly Sink-Blair, Meramec Regional Planning Commission, who is assisting the city with the application.
If the area qualifies, the application will be prepared and submitted for funding. The city is seeking funding to build a new fire station at the corner of Oak and Pine streets in Irondale. The new building would replace an older building, no longer adequate to house the department's vehicles and equipment. The estimated cost of replacing the structure is approximately $180,000. The fire district is also working with Cathy Coffman of the USDA Rural Development's Hillsboro office to secure a loan to cover the balance of the cost.
The fire district must survey all residents receiving benefit from the proposed work and must achieve at least an 80 percent return rate. Of those returning surveys, at least 51 percent must be low-to-moderate income.
The survey will take about five minutes for residents to complete, according to Sink-Blair. Residents will be asked their family size, their income range, whether they own or rent and the make up of the family—for example, whether it includes elderly or a female head of household. Survey information is confidential.
Residents are encouraged to return the completed survey within two weeks.
Persons with specific questions or needing a new survey may contact Wayne Taylor of the fire district at (573) 749-3798 or Kelly Sink-Blair at MRPC at (573) 265-2993.