Lemoore senior citizens get $1.4 million Community Development Block Grant

Lemoore Council Members were informed at their last meeting that a grant they applied for earlier this year to help the Lemoore Senior Center, was approved. The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), for $1.4 million, will be used to assist the seniors with upgrades to make the center more energy efficient.

The city originally applied for nearly $2 million, but Lemoore Senior Center President Richard Rea, who has helped the seniors persevere the past two years as they faced an uncertain future with dwindling funds, is pleased anyway with the new grant.

“Well, I’m thrilled,” he said from the Senior Center on Wednesday. “Alejandro Clark, from the Kings Community Development Corp., called me to inform me, and I’m absolutely overjoyed with it. It’s for construction only, and we can do repairs and things to the building. It’ll probably be another 90 days before we see anything on this level.”

Rea says he plans to meet with city officials and state representatives soon to iron out the many details associated with a CDBG grant.  Rea said members of the Senior Center were ecstatic when he told them of the grant. “I think they’re thrilled,” he said. “Most of them already have the money spent. But I told them there are procedures you have to follow. Projects still have to be approved, but by and large everybody is happy with it.

Rea told The Leader that the primary goal is to fix the roof and install solar panels, expenditures designed to reduce energy costs and make the Senior Center more efficient, freeing up money they would normally use to pay energy costs.

“I think the primary thing is we need is a new roof, we need solar, and we need lighting. I think there are a lot of things we’d like to buy. The most important thing is to get the buildings and facilities running as smoothly as we can. The money saved from energy efficiencies will help us do other things.”

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