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5 <br />NOW, THEREFORE, I, Moses Carey Jr., on behalf of the Orange County Board <br />of Commissioners, does hereby proclaim March, 1991 as MENTAL RETARDATION <br />AWARENESS MONTH in Orange County and urge all of our citizens to learn <br />more about mental retardation so that they might be good neighbors., co-- <br />workers and friends to our citizens who have this developmental <br />disability. <br />VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br />VII. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS - NONE <br />VIII. PUBLIC HEARINGS <br />A. HOUSING DEVELOPMENT GRANT APPLICATION <br />Tara Fikes asked for public comments on suggestions for a <br />proposal for the FY 1991 Housing Development Grant Application. These <br />comments will be considered in designing an innovative and effective <br />project which will improve the housing problems of low and moderate <br />income residents. Orange County is eligible to apply for a maximum of <br />$250,000. <br />THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS OPEN FOR CITIZEN COMMENTS <br />ROBIN BARNHILL, member of the Board of Directors for Orange <br />Congregations in Mission (OCIM), read a statement from Richard <br />Hildebrandt. OCIM has a project they feel will meet some of the <br />critical needs for affordable housing. OCIM and MB Corporation have <br />entered into a joint venture to construct 35 units of housing. The name <br />of the community would be Whitted Forest and would be located at the <br />intersection of Highway 70 and Holiday Park Road on the north side of <br />Hillsborough. She asked that the Board support a $250,000 block grant <br />to help finance the construction of this project. <br />SUSAN GLADIN, OCIM Director, stated that OCIM has worked for ten <br />years to meet the needs of families in the community who have fewer <br />resources on which to live. Housing continues to be a problem. There <br />is a waiting list for up to a year for subsidized housing. One of the <br />values of the Whitted Forest project is the vast array of services that <br />will be in place not only for the residents there but for others in the <br />community. She listed those services. She asked the Board to support <br />this proposal. <br />VALLE JONES of the MB Housing Corporation read a letter from <br />Donna Dyer, Executive Director of the Orange Community Housing <br />Corporation. They support this project and provided the money for OCIM <br />to obtain a consultant for this project. A loan or grant from the CDBG <br />could fill the gap in the Whitted Forest financial package. She <br />encouraged the Board of Commissioners to support the Whitted Forest <br />project for an application for CDBG funds. <br />LISA VETRONO, owner of a local real estate firm, spoke in support <br />of the Whitted Forest project. She stated that in the rental management <br />part of her business she receives about eight (8) calls a week from <br />