Title
Use of Federal Asset Funds for Funding Classrooms, Construction and Site Prep Addition to Reichert House (B)
This item is to request the use of Federal Asset Funding program funds to pay extensions to provide classrooms constructed for elementary aged at-risk boys on the current Reichert House property at 1724 SE 2nd Avenue.
Explanation
The Reichert House, a collaborative effort by the Gainesville Police Department, the Black on Black Crime Task Force, the Corner Drug Store and the Gainesville Housing Authority was founded in 1987. A building dedication for the Reichert House's current location was held in 1996. Since that time, the program, established to provide an after-school mentoring program for at-risk teenage boys, has grown to include at-risk elementary school age boys. They currently serve over one hundred youths in providing opportunities for young men to participate in community service projects and academic achievement programs. It is planned that four portable classrooms be added to the property in order to serve elementary aged at-risk boys.
Police Chief Tony Jones and members of his staff have met with the private community and have raised over one hundred and thirty thousand dollars to expand the program physical facilities to accommodate the number of youths the program serves. To complete this requirement the program would need an additional $99,900 in funding.
GPD is proposing that these expenses are funded from the Gainesville Police Department Federal Forfeiture and Asset Funds. Staff contacted officials from the Department of Justice Equitable Sharing Office for forfeiture in Washington, D.C., who advised that pursuant to the DOJ Guidelines and “A Guide to Equitable Sharing for State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies” the use of equitable sharing funds to purchase/build a facility for the Reichert House is a permissible use of the federal asset forfeiture funds.
Fiscal Note
The proposed action would allocate up ...
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