Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments (SLCOG) in partnership with the Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) has developed a project to us CDBG-CV funding. Lee County will serve as the lead applicant and SLCOG will serve as the administrator of the project. SLCOG has collaborated with contracted providers of the AAA to execute a project with Clarendon, Kershaw, Lee, and Lee counties which will fulfill and issue that was addressed, but due to funding restrictions could not be executed. Regional collaboration with the AAA’s contracted providers identified a need for walk-in-freezers to store the extra required amount of meals needed to maintain normal operations, and also accommodate the additional influx of patrons in need at regional Senior Centers during current and future pandemics for our most vulnerable population. Along with walk-in freezers, an additional issue across while in the quarantine phase. South is statistically prone to natural events such as hurricanes and ice storms. During these storms, the loss of power at these facilities is common and creates a significant concern for frozen meals stored at these facilities to be jeopardized. Our seniors depend on daily-weekly meal operations, since it could be the only meal they consume in a day. The issue is magnified while in a pandemic because storage amounts of these meals significantly increased to accommodate for extended time frames of meal delivery along additional individuals needing the service. Therefore, funding is also requested to supply and install back-up generators for each of the three (3) main senior centers with Clarendon, Kershaw, and Lee, counties which supply these meals. Back-up generators will not only provide power for the walk-in freezers/coolers but provide power for these locations allowing for continued meal delivery services to our aging community in the most urgent times of need. This project, if funded, are to be carried out with Federal funds provided through the Community Development Block Grant Program – Corona Virus (CDBG-CV), which will be made available to the Applicant through the South Carolina Department of Commerce, Division of Community Grants Program. This Public Hearing and the matters to be discussed are subject to the provisions of Lee County’s Citizen Participation Plan developed in anticipation of participating in the State of South Carolina’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, providing for the participation of the citizens of Lee County in the planning and implementation of community and economic development projects which will involve CDBG funds. The Citizen Participation Plan and the Application are available for review at the Santee-Lynches RCOG offices, 2525 Corporate Way, Suite 200, Sumter, SC. and the Lee County, 123 S. Main St, Bishopville SC, between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M., Monday through Friday. Persons with questions or comments concerning the Public Hearing or the Citizen Participation Plan may contact, Tammy Smith, Grants Coordinator, Government Services, Santee-Lynches RCOG, (803) 468-5174. Lee County does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability in the admission of, access to, or treatment regarding employment in its Federally assisted programs or activities. Alan Watkins, Lee County, has been designated to coordinate compliance with the non-discrimination requirements contained in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s regulations. |