In March 2011, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded Melbourne $1,257,986 in NSP3 funds for the purpose of mitigating the negative impact of the economic decline and to reduce blight, bolster neighboring home values, create jobs and produce affordable housing in communities hardest hit by the economic decline and housing market collapse.
The City of Melbourne will utilize the NSP3 funds for financing the acquisition and rehabilitation of homes for sale or lease to individuals and families with incomes that do not exceed 120% of area median income, for program administration and for related activity delivery costs.
In July 2009, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded Melbourne $150,772 in CDBG-R Program funds for the purpose of carrying out, on an expedited basis, eligible activities under the CDBG program. These funds were appropriated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act)
The City of Melbourne will utilize the CDBG-R funds to design and implement Phase I of the Spain Outfall Drainage Basin Improvement Project. This project is aimed at addressing flooding experienced during storm events and includes acquisition of easements, replacement of existing old drainage pipes, upsizing several pipes that engineers have identified as undersized, and installation of rear yard drainage inlets.
The Spain Outfall Drainage Basin is bordered by University Boulevard to the north, Florida Avenue to the south, the Florida East Coast Railroad to the east, and Monroe Street to the west. The construction will occur in the area of Main and Swift Streets.
With the help of federal stimulus funds from the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009, the City of Melbourne is advancing its efforts towards energy efficiency and sustainability. In March 2010, the Department of Energy awarded $813,500 in Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) funds to the City to undertake a number of municipal retrofit projects and develop a long term strategic energy plan.
The EECBG program was created as a means of providing much needed resources toward initiating local energy policies. Its focus is to reduce greenhouse gases, while stimulating the economy through job creation and retention.
Approved EECBG projects include energy efficient roof replacements at the Surface Water Treatment Plant and Front Street Civic Center, new solar thermal water heaters at the fire stations, an energy-efficient HVAC retrofit project at the Police Department on Babcock Street, LED street light retrofits at various locations, and development of a Long Term Strategic Energy Plan. Click here to view the status of these projects.