News- Stanton- Mayor's Report

 

Town of Stanton
Mayor’s Monthly Report
January 19, 2010

The following is a list of projects that are in process or pending for the Town of Stanton.

1. THDA HOME Grant – We have received the $250,000 HOME grant from THDA. Nelson Thornton is administering this grant. Three mobile homes have been moved into Stanton on three building sites.

2. Karen Holder (Nelson Thornton) has identified an additional source of funding for renovations to housing for residents who are senior citizens. She is currently working with some of our residents to assist them with the processing of paperwork.

3. Community Development Block Grant - $500,000. Anna Mae Lewis and Ward Smith (Smitty) have been working hard to distribute and collect completed surveys for this grant. We have enough completed surveys completed to submit for the grant.

4. Disaster Recovery Grant Program (DRPG) - $750,000. The town applied for this grant with the goal of repairing the ditches in town. The grant has been submitted. Applications from the first and second rounds will be combined. Hopefully the results of the grant will be announced in February or March.

5. Energy grant - $100,000. We have applied for applying for this grant. The grant funds will be used for energy enhancement. We have proposed to install solar panels on the town hall that would provide electricity for the town hall and the cannery. Additional uses include upgrades to the HVAC for the Town Hall. The required energy audit was conducted and the grant has been submitted.

6. Renovation of the Stanton Town Hall and Cannery. The grant/loan is being written and letters of support are being written. Tentative deadline for submission is the end of January. We have included in the application a renovation of the front of the building including the Cannery, Garage, and Town Hall. This includes tuck pointing, resurfacing, new canopies over each entrance. The revised cost estimate includes $10,000 for additional kitchen fixtures (not included in the grant awarded this past fall), $10,000 for improved electrical service, and 20% contingency.

7. Fire Department – The grant for fire department equipment has been submitted. We have not yet heard back from the grant application, but a response is expected soon.

8. College classes offered in Stanton. A total of five residents of Stanton and the surrounding community have expressed an interest in taking classes from Jackson State via online courses offered via the Stanton Welcome Center/Library. We will continue to market this project to the residents and the surrounding community.

9. Training Center for Stanton – The goal of this project was to build a training center for Stanton, specifically to begin offering classes from Jackson State Community College, Dyersburg State Community College, and other educational organizations. This project is being put on hold temporarily.

10. The Stanton Academy is planned again for this coming summer. Funding is being located and potential instructors/counselors for the Academy are being identified. I have received requests from teachers in Jackson-Madison County and Shelby County to teach at the Stanton Academy. I will continue to look for Haywood County teachers who may be interested and qualified to teach the Stanton Academy classes.

11. Repairs have been completed at the Clinic building. The Stanton Board of Aldermen will determine the next steps to take in this process.

12. Letters have been sent to the owners of the old lumberyard and the surrounding lots, requesting clean-up of the land.

13. The Stanton Planning Commission meeting will be held this coming Thursday evening.

14. Big E Grocery Store is continuing renovation efforts. The Building Inspector has been in consultation with the owner about compliance with the International Building Code adopted by Stanton

15. Local Government Association will come to Stanton Friday to complete the transfer of financial records to the online system (and move the computer to the front of Town Hall).

16. Materials for the upcoming census will arrive at Town Hall in February 2010. Testing for Census jobs is continuing.

17. Communication – Emma Delk, Debbie, and I plan to visit local churches to provide residents with a status update on the activities in Stanton and the plans for the future.

The Stanton Website contains a link to email the Mayor. The email address to be used (and is currently working) is StantonMayor@gmail.com . All residents are encouraged to use this email address to send questions or concerns to the Mayor. URL for the Stanton web page is: http://www.haywoodcountybrownsville.com/HaywoodCounty/Stanton.aspx

The next Stanton Board of Aldermen meeting will be held at the Town Hall on February 16, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.


Allan Sterbinsky – Mayor
Emma Delk – Vice Mayor