“We are thrilled that the city will receive these funds,” said Mayor Suzanne Handshoe said this morning after learning on Thursday Kendallville will receive $487,000 to demolish vacant and neglected properties through the state’s Hardest Hit Fund Blight Elimination Program.
Kendallville is one of 23 towns, cities and counties to receive a total of nearly $12 million through two rounds of funding, Lt. Gov. Sue Ellespermann’s office announced. According to her office, the two funding rounds will help pay for the demolition of more than 550 properties across the state.
Auburn, which received $100,000; Garrett, $75,000; and Waterloo, $236,000, were the other communities in northeast Indiana to receive funding in these two rounds.
The grant had specific criteria, vacant properties being one of the them, Handshoe said. Regional III-A Economic Development District & Regional Planning Commission prepared the grant application for the city, and city code enforcement officer Terry Longsworth assisted with application process.
“Terry put forth a lot of effort in this application,” Handshoe said.
Kendallville applied in June for the funding to demolish at least 10 blighted, vacant homes. The City Council approved a local $25,000 match. Longsworth has identified the worst properties for demolition.
The Blight Elimination Program allows local governmental units in Indiana to compete for $75 million in funding. The program is supported through $221.7 million in federal Hardest Hit funds that were allocated to Indiana.
“Cities across Indiana have been struggling with the damaging effects caused by vacant and blighted properties, and will soon see the benefits of these federal funds,” Sarah Bloom Raskin, U.S. Department of Treasury deputy secretary, said in an announcement. “Removing blighted properties is important in the fight to reduce foreclosures, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with the state of Indiana to help stabilize hardest-hit communities.”
Kendallville also applied to the state for a $100,000 community development block grant to assist eligible homeowners with home repairs, with the City Council approving a $10,000 local match. City officials should learn soon if the application was successful.
The $487,000 grant to eliminate blight is another step in a public-private partnership in Kendallville to demolish abandoned business, industrial and residential properties, clean up unsightly areas and spruce up neighborhoods.
The Woda Group Inc., a Westville, Ohio-based housing development company, is seeking tax credits from the state to redevelop the vacant Atz Ice Cream Co. plant at 301 E. Wayne St. into a two-story, 32-unit building for seniors 55 and over.
Woda Group officials have indicated if the project goes ahead, they will contribute to a “paint-up, fix-up” program for the neighborhood surrounding the proposed apartment building. They will also provide up to $25,000 to the city to install wheelchair ramps in sidewalks extending from the apartment building to Main Street.
Garrett LLC is overseeing the demolition of the old Dalton and Kendallville foundries, and has already demolished the vacant car wash and sandwich restaurant along U.S. 6 in front of the Kendallville foundry, as well as a neighboring building.
A group of volunteers, organized by Longsworth, recently painted a North Main Street house for its homeowner, a single mother with special-needs children.