All of the tireless work by the Democrats has paid off! Yesterday Congress approved a massive omnibus spending bill that included a $200,000 grant for the Spruce Street Youth Center. President Bush has indicated that he will sign the bill. You can read the entire press release below.
DEMOCRATS ANNOUNCE FUNDING FOR SPRUCE STREET YOUTH CENTER
$200,000 Grant In Federal Government Omnibus Funding Bill
Today Democratic Directors Kevin Zingler, Lisa O’Neill, Dave Sheridan, John Topping and Democratic Town Committee Chairman Ted Cummings announced that a $200,000 grant for the Spruce Street Youth Center was incorporated into the congressional spending bill (H.R. 2764, Division K) that was finalized yesterday and is expected to be signed by President Bush in the coming days.
Democratic Minority Leader Zingler said "I along with my Democratic colleagues on the board await the President's signature to receive this federal grant. The funding will move us one step further towards the opening of this much needed center at firehouse on Spruce Street. The center will provide a variety of opportunities for Manchester's youth to grow socially, emotionally and intellectually. Projects like this will provide our future leaders with the tools needed to succeed. I am grateful to everyone who worked on this project,"
Director O’Neill, who served previously on the Board of Education, stated that the project will foster positive role models to support our youth in their education and other initiatives.
Director Sheridan, who participated in a 2006 National League of Cities Conference in Washington, D.C. where this project was brought to the attention of Manchester’s congressional delegation, noted “This is a project that is very important to me. A few years ago this was just an idea, now we're on the road to making it happen. Our vision was to build a place in the Spruce Street neighborhood where young children can go after school to learn and play and grow in a safe and caring environment. With this grant, we can begin to do that. There is much work ahead of us, but this is an important first step."
Director Topping followed in agreement, “I’m very proud to be a member of the Democratic caucus that worked so hard to arrange for this grant. We still have much work to do and the kids, parents and promise of the Spruce Street area will continue to be our motivation going forward. I have no doubt that the Youth Center will become one of the many gems of the downtown area.”
Town Committee Chairman Cummings expressed that the project, which wouldn’t have occurred without the many tireless efforts of the Democrats, will provide a variety of social and recreational outlets for the many residents of the Spruce Street area, including mentoring and life-skills training.
The Youth Center will be located in the former Spruce Street Firehouse and will have several computer workstations, space for recreational and youth service programs, and will house the Police Activities League, who will couple with the Youth Service Bureau and Recreation Department to provide programming. Additional programs may include health and safety programs (CPR, babysitting, etc.), tutoring, and a Youth and Senior Theater.
Democratic Minority Leader Zingler said "I along with my Democratic colleagues on the board await the President's signature to receive this federal grant. The funding will move us one step further towards the opening of this much needed center at firehouse on Spruce Street. The center will provide a variety of opportunities for Manchester's youth to grow socially, emotionally and intellectually. Projects like this will provide our future leaders with the tools needed to succeed. I am grateful to everyone who worked on this project,"
Director O’Neill, who served previously on the Board of Education, stated that the project will foster positive role models to support our youth in their education and other initiatives.
Director Sheridan, who participated in a 2006 National League of Cities Conference in Washington, D.C. where this project was brought to the attention of Manchester’s congressional delegation, noted “This is a project that is very important to me. A few years ago this was just an idea, now we're on the road to making it happen. Our vision was to build a place in the Spruce Street neighborhood where young children can go after school to learn and play and grow in a safe and caring environment. With this grant, we can begin to do that. There is much work ahead of us, but this is an important first step."
Director Topping followed in agreement, “I’m very proud to be a member of the Democratic caucus that worked so hard to arrange for this grant. We still have much work to do and the kids, parents and promise of the Spruce Street area will continue to be our motivation going forward. I have no doubt that the Youth Center will become one of the many gems of the downtown area.”
Town Committee Chairman Cummings expressed that the project, which wouldn’t have occurred without the many tireless efforts of the Democrats, will provide a variety of social and recreational outlets for the many residents of the Spruce Street area, including mentoring and life-skills training.
The Youth Center will be located in the former Spruce Street Firehouse and will have several computer workstations, space for recreational and youth service programs, and will house the Police Activities League, who will couple with the Youth Service Bureau and Recreation Department to provide programming. Additional programs may include health and safety programs (CPR, babysitting, etc.), tutoring, and a Youth and Senior Theater.
