BARTOW | Bartow’s Community Redevelopment Agency shifted focus Wednesday in funding for non-profit groups, directing its attention toward housing development while maintaining its commitment to community events.
That shift came when Jeff Bagwell, president and executive director of the Lakeland-based Keystone Challenge Fund, offered Wednesday to partner with the CRA to build two houses for in Bartow for low- to moderate-income families.
“I’m asking for $15,000 for each home,” he told board members, and they agreed to include that funding in the agency’s 2015-16 budget.
Board member Karen Guffey said she’s familiar with Bagwell and the Keystone program, which dates to 1991, and she’s confident the housing projects will be completed under that partnership.