County Executive Falk Announces $52,000 in BUILD Grants to Local Communities for Downtown Revitalizations and Bike Trails

January 20, 2006
Lesley Sillaman, Office of the County Executive (608) 267-8823 or cell (608) 669-5606

Madison – Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk today announced $52,000 in BUILD grants to four local municipalities for downtown revitalization plans. The funding, which had been in jeopardy earlier this year due to federal budget cuts, comes as part of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and will be awarded to the Village of Black Earth, the City of Stoughton, the Village of Cambridge and the Town of Windsor. This week, Falk received a letter from the Department of Housing and Urban Development informing her of the amount of CDBG funding the County will receive. The Village of Black Earth will receive $9,000 to assist with implementation of the Village’s downtown action plan. The City of Stoughton will receive $9,000 to prepare an engineering study for pedestrian and bicycle improvements to the railroad corridor in the downtown area. The Village of Cambridge will receive $10,000 to plan for pedestrian and bicycle trail crossing improvements. The Town of Windsor will receive $24,000 to prepare a redevelopment plan for the “village” of Morrisonville. The county’s BUILD Committee reviews the applications and makes recommendations to the County Board and the County Executive. Applicants must meet the objectives of the BUILD program, including making better use of existing infrastructure; locating community services, jobs and shopping in close proximity and providing viable options to auto trips by supporting walking, biking, and transit. BUILD, a program created by Falk in 1999, has given (including today’s awards) more than 50 total grants at a total of approximately $822,000. # # #