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PROPOSED CHANGE SWITCHES HOMEBUYER COUNSELING FUNDING TO PROPOSED PARK

By Erin France/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 11:37 PM CST

The Pine Bluff City Council’s input in the budget process officially began Tuesday with the community development committee weighing in on the city’s Economic and Community Development Department’s proposed 2010 budget.

The committee made one major change in taking $15,000 from homebuyer counseling and moving it to Westside Memorial Park, both line items in the department’s grants and project expenses.

Donald Sampson, the director of the economic and community development department, said the city would have paid for residents to receive homebuying assistance through a local nonprofit.

“We’re going to have about 30 people that we’re going to assist this year,” he said.

The budget called for $17,000 for the line item.

Aldermen approved moving $15,000 of that to the Westside Park Memorial, a proposed park at the intersection of Franklin Street and West 13th Avenue.

The project is one that 4th Ward Alderman Janice Roberts has championed at past city meetings.

Sampson said a homebuyer’s assistance program would not be useful with the $2,000 left.

“You may as well take the whole $17,000,” he said.

In response to a request for funds from the Boys and Girls Club of Jefferson County, the committee voted to create legislation that would call for $30,000 from state funding to go towards the $55,565 request.

Leslie Peters, chief professional officer of the Boys and Girls Club, presented the group’s request.

“We need to get the parking off the street,” he said.

The club has seven parking spaces, Peters said, not enough for the 65-70 children and parents who visit the club’s Townsend Park location.

“We’ve had several incidents of kids almost getting hit,” he said.

Peters added that the club had budgeted $75,000-$80,000 for renovations inside the building.

He said the upgrades include a $6,000 security system in response to frequent break-ins at the property.

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