Aldermen approve reprogramming of CDBG funds to repair Catherine McKean egresses

The Milford Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to authorize the mayor to submit substantial amendments to the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) annual action plans to reprogram existing awards for repairs at Catherine McKean Village.

City staff told the board that bids for the originally proposed fire alarm upgrade came in far over budget and that, after review, the award could be used more effectively to repair rotting egresses, decks and stairs that staff described as safety issues. City staff confirmed the amount available over the two program years is $167,665.95 and that the MRHP (Milford Redevelopment and Housing Partnership) would follow HUD bid guidelines when procuring the work.

Alderwoman and other board members asked why the supporting documents were stamped "draft;" staff explained that the attached extracts are the relevant amended sections of much larger action plans kept by HUD and that the documents remain "draft" until HUD completes its approval process. A motion to redact the draft attachments from the submission was proposed but withdrawn; a subsequent attempt to table the item failed on a roll call vote. MRHP representatives and staff said the egress repairs addressed urgent safety needs and that they were ready to proceed to bidding if the board approved the amendments.

Niall Scall, modernization coordinator with JW Associates for MRHP, told the board the housing authority currently has an operational fire alarm and CO detection system but that HUD had required updates; the alarm project became cost‑prohibitive, and a full inspection revealed extensive deterioration of porches and egresses that the reprogramming would address. Scall said if approved, the MRHP could go out to bid promptly.

What’s next: City staff will submit the amended action plans to HUD for approval, after which the MRHP may formally bid and award the egress repairs.