SAFFORD — The Safford City Council unanimously agreed to seek Community Development Block Grants for sidewalks.
“The two sidewalk projects that were chosen will be combined,” said Safford Planning and Community Development Director Jaime Embick.
The city is seeking $271,659 to complete sidewalks in two areas:
● Portions of 9th Avenue, 9th Place and Bingham Place between 10th and 14th Streets, and portions of 12th and 13th Streets between 8th and 10th Avenue
● Portions of 6th and 7th Avenues north of 3rd Street and 1st and 2nd Streets between 6th and 8th Avenues.
Sidewalks in the first area would serve a significant number of school children, as Lafe Nelson and Safford Middle Schools are immediately to the west and east.
The Community Development Block Grant program is administered by U.S. Housing and Urban Development, which distributes money to the states to serve low- to moderate-income residents.
Fifty-three percent of the Safford residents in the first area qualify under federal guidelines as low- to moderate-income, while in the second area the population jumps to 75 percent low- to moderate-income.
