The Ripon City Council recently agreed to allocate a good portion of the Community Development Block Grant to the Senior Center Interior Rehab Project.
The City of Ripon, which is slated to receive nearly $90,000 this year in CDBG funds, will use approximately $71,103 on a Public Works Program / Project and $5,000 for administrative allowance.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development, as administered through the County of San Joaquin, anticipated providing Ripon with an estimated $89,533 in CDBG funds and $32,121 in HOME funds – the money is intended to assist in resolving identified community development needs and housing problems.
The Senior Center Interior Rehab Project is the public works project, consisting of improvements and upgrades to the kitchen and restroom, flooring replacement, miscellaneous interior work (various room and hallways, including sheetrock repair and painting), exterior painting to the entire facility, and the installation of a bocce ball court on the west side of the building.
The latter calls for the installation of shade covers and benches.
Planning Director Ken Zuidervaart said in his March 12 staff report that the city has received about $329,000, to date, in CDBG funds, which includes the Senior Center Façade Retrofit project.
“We have the shade structure stored at the corporate yard,” he said at the public hearing (no one from the public spoke at the monthly session).
The Engineering Department is currently preparing the specs so that the façade retrofit project can go out to bid by the fall.
If there’s any funds remaining after bidding that project, the city can allocate those additional funds to this year’s Senior Center Interior Rehab Project at a future public hearing, said the staff report.
In addition, staff received Bethany Home Society’s public service application for $5,813 to continue the meals on wheel program that provides 12,500 fresh meals daily to 138 Ripon seniors annually via a congregate setting or homebound.
That along with the Emergency Food Bank of Stockton / San Joaquin-Mobile Farmers Market ($2,500) and Meals on Wheel ($2,903) for homebound seniors received the nob from elected leaders for 2024-2025 CDBG funding cycle.
