Margert in the News
Learning to
Repair Their Own Homes
The Full Story
Dozens of women and men are gaining the skills to repair
their own homes in an innovative community outreach program in Queens.
The Home Maintenance Workshop, organized by two
non-profits, provides hands-on instruction in basic tool skills, carpentry, tile
installation, plumbing repairs, drywall installation, taping and spackling,
painting, wallpapering, electrical safety tips, energy efficiency upgrading and
other home maintenance techniques.
Before graduating and receiving a certificate, students in
the Home Maintenance Workshop program demonstrate their newly gained skills
working with lumber, sheetrock and other materials by building finished rooms,
complete with electrical and plumbing systems.
The free program is offered by the Housing Partnership
Development Corporation and the Margert Community Corporation to assist
homeowners and prospective first-time home buyers in maintaining their home
investment. Classes are limited to 25 persons “in order to maximize the learning
experience,” said Walter Mullins, a home repair expert who conducts the
Workshop. Two-thirds of the students are women. The Workshop is a beginners’
course to learn the basics. All materials and tools are provided without charge.
“The Home Maintenance Workshop is an integral component of
the post-purchase housing counseling services we provide to first time
homebuyers. The Workshop is designed to provide individuals with the skill set
needed to do their own home repairs and preventative maintenance,” said Joe
Barden, Executive Director of Margert Community Corporation.
As a member of Gifts In Kind International’s worldwide
network of nonprofit organizations, Margert Community Corporation partners with
the Home Depot Retail Donation Program, through which it receives tools and home
repair materials for use in the Workshop. Graduates are eligible to “shop” these
items at no cost in order to exercise and reinforce their new-found skills.
The weekly two-hour sessions are held in a workshop built
in the St. Gertrude’s gymnasium at 307 Beach 37 Street, Far Rockaway run by the
Margert Community Corporation.
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Household Electricity Bills
Skyrocket
The Full Story
Electric bills have skyrocketed in the last five years, a sharp reversal from
a quarter-century when Americans enjoyed stable power bills even as they used
more electricity.
Households paid a record $1,419 on average for
electricity in 2010, the fifth consecutive yearly increase above the inflation
rate, a USA TODAY analysis of government data found. The jump has added about
$300 a year to what households pay for electricity. That's the largest sustained
increase since a run-up in electricity prices during the 1970s.
Electricity is consuming a greater share of Americans'
after-tax income than at any time since 1996 — about $1.50 of every $100 in
income at a time when income growth has stagnated, a USA TODAY analysis of
Bureau of Economic Analysis data found.
View full story.
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Governor Cuomo
Announces $785 Million in Economic Development Funding Through Regional Councils
The Full Story
Announces Strategic Plan Rankings and Funding Packages for All
Regions
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that $785 million has been awarded
through the Regional Economic Development Council initiative, continuing the
Governor's efforts to redesign the way state government works in order to drive
economic growth and create jobs.
Announced in July, Regional Councils represent a fundamental shift in the
state's approach to economic development from a top-down development model to a
community-based, performance driven approach which empowers individual areas to
develop comprehensive strategic plans that invest in regional solutions to
create jobs and economic growth. As part of the Regional Council process, a
Strategic Plan Review Committee was chosen to analyze and rank the strategic
plans for each region competing for $200 million in specially targeted economic
development funding.
"Regional collaborations and planning is a roadmap to get New Yorkers back to
work," Governor Cuomo said. "The plans submitted by all ten regions were truly
extraordinary. For the first time, we are putting the power of the State
Government behind the innovation of our people, giving them the tools to rebuild
our economy."
Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy said, "Under Governor Cuomo's transformative
Regional Council initiative, New York finally has the strategic economic
development planning to change the way it does business. By engaging the
expertise of those who know their regions best we can capitalize on each
region's greatest assets to maximize job creation and economic growth."
The plans are the result of months of consideration by the Regional Councils
and input from the public in each region. The process included holding over 100
public meetings, forums and community workshops across the State. Thousands of
New Yorkers contributed to the development of the plans through these events.
In addition to the strategic planning grants made available through the
Regional Council initiative, a Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) was
created to give businesses and other entities streamlined and expedited access
to economic development funding from nine state agencies and 29 existing
programs. Awards for CFA projects were based on the endorsement of the local
Regional Council and the technical scoring of various state funding agencies.
Additionally, approximately 800 eligible applicants will receive funding from
NYSERDA's energy efficiency and renewable energy programs.
Consistent with the Governor's Executive Order issued earlier this year to
increase Minority and Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) participation in state
contracting, all projects awarded grants through this initiative must use best
efforts to reach the goal of 20% MWBE participation.
For a full appendix of these projects, go to:
http://www.governor.ny.gov/assets/documents/CFAAWARDSBooklet.pdf
Margert Community Corporation was awarded funding as a local
program administrator (LPA) for the NYS Access to
Home and RESTORE programs.
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2011 Annual Report to the Legislature for the
Neighborhood and Rural Preservation Companies
The Full Story
Below is a link to the
2011 Annual Report to the Legislature for the Neighborhood and Rural
Preservation Companies submitted last week by NYS
Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) in compliance with Articles XVI and
XVII.
Please follow the link to
review the report.
http://nysdhcr.gov/Publications/NRPPAnnualReport/
Margert Community Corporation
is a New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR)
Neighborhood Preservation Company.
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