The state-administered weatherization stimulus program is being taken away from the Chattanooga Department of Human Services because the city office failed to do the job.
"Their December benchmark was (to complete weatherization on) 118 homes, but they had completed 23," said Lisa Elam, director of Adult and Family Services Contracts for the Tennessee Department of Human Services.
PDF: Current weatherization agency stats
A goal for March 31 was 237, she said, but the office had completed only 83 homes by that deadline.
"That was not even what they should have done by the end of December," she said. "We think there was lack of urgency and a lack of commitment to the way we operated the program."
Richard Beeland, spokesman for Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield, said the mayor met with state officials several weeks ago and persuaded them to allow the city to transfer the $3.6 million program -- which increased the city's ability to weatherize homes by about tenfold -- to Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise.
CNE, a nonprofit housing organization funded in part by the city, has a track record of handling similar rehabilitation programs, he said.
"The program was going to be pulled completely and, through the mayor's effort, was saved through this partnership with CNE," Mr. Beeland said.
Mr. Beeland said the city is looking into why the program didn't work as it should have in the city's Department of Human Services.
"We acknowledge there have been some issues there," he said. "It was working, it just wasn't working fast enough."
IF YOU GOWhat: Public hearing to transfer the Chattanooga stimulus weatherization programWhen: June 8 at 6 p.m.Where: Chattanooga City Council BuildingSource: Tennessee Department of Human Services
Ms. Elam said the program will be transferred to CNE following a public hearing on June 8 at 6 p.m., held in conjunction with a regular Chattanooga City Council meeting. She said applications for help already submitted will be transferred to CNE, as will the projects already in progress or on
waiting lists.
As of Monday, the city had received 618 applications for help and had requested bids on 303.
"We tried to help (the city)," Ms. Elam said.
LOCAL WEATHERIZATION BENCHMARKSCity/County Goal by March 31 Actual number completed by March 31Chattanooga/Hamilton 83 237Bradley/Cleveland 79 68SETHRA* 182 182* The Southeast Tennessee Human Resource Agency serves Bledsoe, Grundy, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Polk, Rhea and Sequatchie counties.Source: Tennessee Department of Human Services
The state even sent computers to the city office when, in January, Chattanooga Human Services Administrator Bernadine Turner said one problem was that there was "a major delay in receiving the computer equipment necessary for the staff to perform."
The computers "were turned away," Ms. Elam said.
Each local agency's handling of the program has an impact on the state's ability to meet its own accounting benchmarks for the federal funding provided by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, she said.
"But (the state's action) is also about our concern that folks in Chattanooga are not getting services they should get," Ms. Elam said.
At the end of March, Tennessee was No. 2 in the country for the most homes weatherized to date, and Chattanooga's program is the only one state officials have taken such tough corrective action on, she said.
To date, the city has invoiced the state for $486,000 in stimulus weatherization costs, Ms. Elam said.
Continue reading by following these links to related stories:
Article: Study urges conservation to cut burning of coal