Agenda Item Name:
Title
Update and Accomplishments to Date for Community Redevelopment Funds for the Gainesville Metropolitan Area
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Presenter:
RD Bonnaghan, Rebuilding Together North Central Florida
Meg The Losen, Working Food
Sean H. Mclendon, Strategic Initiatives Manager, 352 548 3765
Description:
Update on accomplishments to date by Working Food and a final report from Rebuilding Together North Central Florida on their professional service grants as funded by the Community Redevelopment Funds for the Gainesville Metropolitan Area.
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Hear presentation
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Prior Board Motions:
At the Board’s April 13, 2021 regular meeting Commissioner Prizzia moved to extend the term through December 31, 2021, allow for the majority of remaining funds to be used for the youth culinary program, and a smaller percentage to support continued engagement and collaboration in Workforce Development activities related to local food systems. The motion carried 5-0.
At the Board's November 10, 2020, regular meeting Commissioner Cornell moved option 1, if the City is not using CRA Funding then approve use of option 2 to use the step down funding and authorize the County Manager to sign the agreement.
From the agenda item:
Direct staff to coordinate with the Gateway Team to develop a scope of work to study the economic redevelopment potential of the Waldo Road Corridor within the bounds of the Gainesville Metropolitan Area and bring back to an appropriate County meeting for approval and:
Option 1: Approve the use of up to $100,000 as contributed by Alachua County to the 2019 City of Gainesville-Alachua County Community Redevelopment Agreement as a 50% match with the City of Gainesville
Option 2: Approve the use of up to $100,000 as contributed by Alachua County Gainesville Community Redevelopment Step-Down Fund as a 50% match with the City of Gainesville
The motion carried 5-0.
At the Board’s September 22, 2020, Consent Agenda the Board approved the revised Community Redevelopment Fund process.
On 23, June 2020, Commissioner Byerly moved to approve a $50,000 award to Working Food and a $50,000 award to Rebuilding Together North Central Florida from the County’s Community Redevelopment Grant for the Gainesville Metropolitan Area. In Fiscal Year 2021, the requirement of $100,000 of the total supplemental CRA contribution for professional services will be removed to allow the Board the option to utilize the total amount at their discretion. Staff was directed to prepare capital projects sufficient to expend the full year’s proceeds for Board consideration. The motion carried 5-0.
At the Board’s May 12 consent agenda, the Board approved the finalized grant criteria and application. Directed staff to solicit and bring back ranked applications to the earliest possible County Commission meeting for review and award. Authorized the County Manager to sign agreements with non-profits after the Board’s award.
At the Board’s February 11, regular meeting Commissioner Cornell moved to direct staff to return with finalized criteria for community redevelopment grants within the Gainesville Metropolitan Area and create a final application process for professional services grants for FY20 and develop a list of infrastructure projects for FY21. The motion carried 4-0 with Commissioner Chestnut absent. 2nd Wheeler
Fiscal Consideration:
Fiscal Consideration
The total amount remaining under Working Food’s revised and extended agreement is $29,021.74 as of October 7, 2021.
No further grant applications will be accepted, per the Board’s June 2020 direction, unless new direction is given by the Board.
The resources for these efforts are funded from a portion of financial contributions committed by the County to the Gainesville Community Revitalization Area agreement (GCRA). Alachua County's annual commitment to the GCRA starting in 2020 is $4,191,460 with an increment drawdown of $100,000 annually for 10 years to reach equity with the City of Gainesville to $3,325,657 per year. The Community Redevelopment Fund in the first year (2020), had a $100,000 increment available for economic development projects and thereafter grows by $100,000 per year over ten years per Section 3 of the GCRA agreement. These funds are in account 001.17.1770.552.46.00.
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Strategic Guide:
Social and Economic Opportunity
Background:
This presentation brings back a Community Redevelopment Fund Grant update on accomplishments to date from Working Food and a final report from Rebuilding Together North Central Florida. The two programs were awarded $50,000 grants for services that impacting employment opportunities, food systems, the built environment, and residential energy efficiency for low-income and elderly populations in Gainesville Metropolitan Area. The grant term for Rebuilding Together ended on July 1, 2021. Working Food’s grant term was extended by the Board till the end of December 2021.
Community Redevelopment Fund History:
• In FY20 $100,000 was dedicated to two $50,000 grants.
• Per the Board’s June 2020 direction, all available funding Community Redevelopment Funds will go towards County directed projects with a focus on serving low-income to moderate-income citizens within the Gainesville Metropolitan Area.
• FY21 $100k dedicated by the Board to the Airport Gateway Market Analysis; $100k remains to be allocated to other projects. This project is still waiting on feedback from the City Commission on whether to proceed on the project.
• FY22 $300k available for projects. Staff are looking at funding opportunities related to the Board’s December 15, 2020, Food System Corner Store Initiative motion and looking at opportunities for low-income conservation, efficiency and renewable energy home enhancements.
Working Food Summary of Accomplishments to Date Fall 2021
Young Chefs Culinary Program, Pop-Up Restaurant, and Summer Sling Classes
Outcome: Pilot a culturally competent youth culinary program that provides cooking, nutrition, and food safety skills while also connecting students to the heritage of their food and future career opportunities.
For October through December, 2021
Five more Young Chefs Classes
○ Three online, two in-person
○ Combine styles & lessons from last year of classes
Installing new Youth Garden,
“The Garden of Eatin’” at the Duval Community Garden with Greater Duval & Out East Youth
○ Weekly garden meetups
○ Students will grow food to be used directly in Young Chefs Classes
UF Culinary Arts Certificate Program
Funding for 10 students will now be provided by CareerSource. UF OPWD is looking for a qualified, available instructor.
• 16 week course
• 12 hours/ week hands-on instruction in certified kitchen
• Conducted at Working Food
• Externship included
UF Entrepreneurial Training /NASDA
Pilot program starts May 2021 - 12 week course
Provides up to 10 women farmers with a unique opportunity to:
• Connect with a community of women farmers and local experts
• Learn how to launch a food or beverage product
• Participate in live 1-hour weekly discussions with guest speakers
• Gain new skill sets related to packaging, pitching to buyers, and more
• Add on classes available after course weeks concluded
• Future opportunities to open to extended audience to others.
Small Scale, Women Owned Meat Processing Co-Op
Farmers in Alachua county and other nearby counties do not have convenient access to a USDA approved meat processing facility.
• This bottleneck prevents local farmers from expanding their businesses.
• The co-op started operating out of Working Food’s shared, commercial kitchen and storage facilities in April 2022. All is going well.
○ Testing specialized equipment.
○ Increasing product varieties and sales.
○ Improved control over schedule and quality of processing and production.
Rebuilding Together Northcentral Florida Final Report
Rebuilding Together North Central Florida (RTNCF) and the Community Weatherization Coalition (CWC) responded to the urgent community needs for safe, healthy housing and utility burden management during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic by reimagining existing repair and energy efficiency programs to meet people where they were in safe and accessible ways. With funding from Alachua County’s Community Redevelopment Grant (CRG), new infrastructures were built and implemented for Emergency Repairs and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Home Energy Tune-Ups. Both programs were designed to provide immediate relief for residents facing health/safety hazards and/or high utility bills. With that infrastructure in place, both programs launched in the summer of 2020. Funding was leveraged with other money available for Home Repair and Energy-Efficiency efforts via private and corporate donations, and public funds. Notably, $23,272.91 public dollars were leveraged toward this project, as were $20,000 from Lowes and an additional $10,000 in private funds. Several homes initially identified for Emergency Repairs were referred to RTNCF’s Critical Repair Program, and were addressed with CAPP, HOME, and USDA dollars. The Emergency Repair Program served 13 households (detailed below) and the DIY Energy Tune-Up Program served 15 (also detailed below). Response to the programs were extremely positive, and led to an effort by RTNCF and CWC to fund both programs beyond the grant period. Contracts are in the works to fund both programs via the City of Gainesville (through CDBG) and Alachua County (through CAPP). We envision the growth of both programs in the future, and are pitching both to current and potential funders to expand the programs to meet growing demand for these services locally.
Grant History
As part of the Board’s Special Budget Meeting on June 4, 2019, Manager Lieberman proposed the creation of an Economic Development Grant Fund. The purpose of the fund would be to capture those programs that do not fall within traditional Community Agency Partnership Program (CAPP) services and spur economic development in areas of need.
This effort aligns with the County Commission’s desire to “promote the economic prosperity of all citizens, address economic equity, and diversify the tax base”, per Goal 1 of the Economic Element in the Comprehensive Plan. The Economic Element further elaborates on the Board’s policies relating to achieving greater prosperity for all including but not limited to the promotion of job training, local food, business incubation, nature-based tourism, and recycling businesses while addressing historic equity issues. Concurrent with this goal, the City of Gainesville and Alachua County in 2019 ratified the Gainesville Community Revitalization Area agreement (GCRA) <https://alachuacofl.civicclerk.com/Web/GenFile.aspx?ad=20342> which seeks to catalyze redevelopment and improve the urban environment for low and moderate-income residents including the elderly.
Based on both commitments, the Board approved grant criteria and a process that promotes community redevelopment via economic development service projects in the Gainesville Metropolitan Area.
The resources for these efforts would be funded from a portion of the funds committed by the County to the GCRA agreement.