Community Center Seeks Two Federal Grants

The Town Council has approved the application of the Westfield Community Center for over $60,000 from the Community Development Block Grant for continuation of a program and a new heating system.

Thelma Smith, the community center's executive director, said the senior program is funded primarily by the CDBG grant. The program is a five day a week social program for senior citizens in the area. The coordinator's post is a part time position in the program.

Smith said the center has a poor heating system which needs to be upgraded and the CDBG can be a benefit to pay for this major capital project.

"We are using the grant to help update this," she said.

The CDBG is a federal grant program, created by President Ford and administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to help non-profits and other agencies administer social services programs. The projects first need to be approved by a local government before being brought to the Union County CDBG committee which administers a pool of money for 18 of the county's 21 municipalities. Because of size, Elizabeth, Plainfield and Union Township administer their own CDBG grants. The Town Council last week hosted public hearings on both applications, which passed without comment from any members of the public.

Smith said the CDBG program has been a benefit to her and other non-profit groups.

"The block grant is the main source of funding for non-profits," Smith said. "We look for government sources of funding for the center."