Latest news with #DianeStephens
BBC News
16-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Repairs at Heugh Battery Museum under way
Work has started to improve a World War One site which was deemed "at risk" by Historic England in Heugh Battery in Hartlepool was put on the conservation body's list due to "neglect, decay or inappropriate development".The government announced £33m of cultural funding for such sites in March 2024, awarding the historic museum with almost £500, Diane Stephens said the past few months had been "tough" as parts of the site had to close, but hoped work would be completed by the end of August. The Heugh Battery is known as the UK's first and only WW1 battlefield, after three German battlecruisers attacked Hartlepool in than 100 civilians were killed and 400 injured, but the Heugh Battery guns returned fire and are credited with cutting the bombardment securing £497,534 for essential repairs, work began on the site in February. 'Stop the decline' Ms Stephens said the museum was placed onto Historic England's at-risk list initially when the team noticed cracks in the gunning placement and a "big bit fell off".She said it was not the only issue the museum faced."We've got water coming in everywhere, not just even in the cracks and making concrete unstable, but we've had flooding issues," she said."We have had issues in the underground parts of the museum where the metal has gone really rusty. It really needed some management to stop the decline." Due to the work, most of the site has been closed off to the public, but the team has recently opened a new exhibition which features a German bomb from one of the ships during the bombardment. Ms Stephens said the past few months had been tough."Our visitor numbers are down and our income is down about 50% on the same time last year, so we really are struggling to pay our way this year."It's great to have the funding to do the works but we've got to keep the underlying things paid for too, like the electricity." Xsite Architecture's Tim Bailey, who is working on the site, said the location of the museum left it exposed to the elements."This marine environment is battered by wind, salt and water which has meant that quite a bit of the components of the site have been eroded and are decaying," he said. "This work will stabilise that and make sure that it continues to exist for future visitors."He said he hoped to be able to return the site to something that both demonstrated the sacrifice of WW1 and a "place where people will come and talk about what that means today". Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pinellas commissioners review final plan for $800M in hurricane aid
PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Pinellas County commissioners lay out their plan to spend $813 million in storm recovery money. While the plan isn't final, it's based off input from the community. Lingering damage from hurricanes Helene and Milton is obvious around the county. Pinellas leaders say there's an estimated $5.2 billion of damage. Hurricane season is just a month away. Are you prepared? Diane Stephens is one of many waiting to get back into their homes while bracing for the start of another storm season. 'So, I was trying to find something, a grant or something that would help me, because I'm ready to get in my home,' she explains. According to the county commission, housing accounts for 78% of the remaining unmet needs. County Administrator Matthew Spoor says, '$800 million is a lot of money, we can all agree on that, right? It's still not enough. It's not enough money to do everything we need to do for Pinellas County to recover.' The plan is the product of more than 3,000 resident surveys. The final draft of the plan includes: $599 million for housing $106 million for infrastructure $32 million for economic revitalization $32 million for public services Stephens wants a more immediate option to return home. She explains, 'I'm hoping that I can get assistance before this comes about, but, at least I know they've got this coming.' Commissioners are accepting public feedback on the plan's final draft through May 23. You can review the plan and submit input at When the feedback period ends, county leaders will submit the final plan to HUD for approval. They plan to roll out some of the aid and programs in the fall. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pinellas leaders say $800M in federal funding is ‘a lot of money, but still not enough' to recover
DUNEDIN, Fla. (WFLA) — Diane Stephens hasn't lived in her house in Dunedin sine Hurricane Helene forced a tree on top of it, making her home unlivable. Stephens went to Dunedin City Hall Thursday hoping to learn about her options during a public input meeting for federal grant money to help residents recover from the storms. Document details days of teen's torture in St. Pete dismemberment case 'I was trying to find something, a grant or something that would help me because I'm ready to get in my home,' Stephens said. 'This is my first time ever being displaced, and it's not a good feeling.' Pinellas County is using federal Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds worth $813,783,000 to launch programs that would address unmet needs following the hurricanes. Their data shows 78% of the unmet needs come from housing. '$800 million is a lot of money, we can all agree on that right? It's still not enough. It's not enough money to do everything we need to do for Pinellas County to recover,' said Matthew Spoor with the Pinellas County Administration. Most of the money will go toward housing programs, like the five presented Thursday night for homeowner reimbursement, homeownership assistance, home rehabilitation or reconstruction, local landlord rehabilitation or reconstruction, and disaster relief payments. The remaining funds would go to support the economy, public services, and infrastructure. It's not the immediate solution many were hoping for and asking about Thursday. Stephens said she's trying to look at it in a positive way. 'I'm hoping that I can get assistance before this comes about. But at least I know they've got this coming as well,' Stephens said. 'Finding these programs is kind of hard. Finding contractors is hard. So there is really no road map to tell you what you need to do.' The next public input meeting will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. April 24 at Harbor Hall/White Chapel, located at 1190 Georgia Avenue in Palm Harbor. The goal is to have an action plan draft released in 13 days, then have it approved by county commissioners on May 6. On May 23, the plan will be submitted to Housing and Urban Development for approval. Once that's complete, programs can begin rolling out in the fall. For more information, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
