Some Danville City Council members say now is not the time to use federal Community Development Block Grant money for downtown riverfront development. Only 3 aldermen voted in favor of the proposed CDBG Action Plan at last night’s city council meeting.
Vice Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. thinks other priorities should be set for the funds. ”We were saying we needed about $400,000 to start doing some work on storm water management. There’s your $400,000 right there,” said Williams. ”So what I’m saying is that we have to be more creative with the funds that we have allocated. Instead of continuing to ask for more, and more, and more – we need to look for other and more creative ways to use the money that we’re already receiving,” added Williams.
The proposed Annual Action Plan includes $280-thousand dollars for downtown riverfront development and another $150-thousand dollars for a shared path improvement along North Jackson Street – north of Danville High School.
Mayor Scott Eisenhauer thinks development of the riverfront area will lead to other downtown economic development. ”What we heard tonight is the Council is not interested in economic development in the downtown or riverfront area. And that’s very disappointing to us, but if that is the direction that they want to see negated, then we’ll look at what other opportunities exist before us,” says the Mayor.
Urban Services Director David Schnelle told the council that the Federal Housing and Urban Development office encourages spending the funds in areas with a potentially good outlook for economic development.
