| Hope of Martin grant approved | | Posted: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 12:00 pm
| By JOE LOFARO
Special to The Press
MARTIN — Martin Mayor Randy Brundige and the Board of Aldermen voted Monday in favor of a $1,500 grant to Hope of Martin, a community organization that plans to ultimately build five duplexes on the property formerly known as Campbell Trailer Park on Highland Street.
“We build for low-income and special needs individuals,” said Gene Busby, with Hope of Martin Community Development Corporation. “In conjunction with CDS, we want to move some of our clients into this new community setting.”
Busby said Hope of Martin will initially build three duplexes and ultimately five on the site of the dilapidated trailer park.
“We want this to be a nice, homey community,” Busby said. “We will have 24-hour maintenance and we will hire a company so all of the yards can be mowed on Mondays.”
Busby said while the new community will include some CDS clients, it would not include all CDS clients. “If we move all the clients out there, it defeats our purpose,” Busby said. “We want some of our clients in the community setting.”
Brundige told the Martin aldermen at this past Tuesday’s informal board meeting, if the city voted to pass the grant, the city should be able to recoup twice as much back. “Kids are getting hurt in those old trailers and we need to get that area clean-up.”
In other action, the city board approved the appointments of Larry Alexander and Darrell Baylock to the Weakley County Economic Development Board.
Alexander was reappointed and Baylock is replacing Hollie Holt. Alexander is one of the original board members.
“We were able to set up the Three-Star program, hire an industrial recruiter (Ronnie Price) and start the plans on the spec building in Martin,” Alexander said. “We are always trying to recruit new industry, and we created the retirement website. Ultimately we are always trying to bring new jobs to the county and provide a good quality of life for everyone. They go hand-and-hand.”
The city board also passed the second and final reading of an ordinance to amend the city’s municipal code, regarding its Occupational Safety and Health Program.
Published in The WCP 5.14.13 | | | | |
