RIDGWAY — During a quarterly meeting on Wednesday, officials with the Elk County Planning Commission reviewed updates to some county housing rehabilitation programs.
In July, the county received a $500,000 grant to go towards housing rehabilitation projects in Jay, Fox and Benezette townships.
Richard Gavazzi, housing and program specialist, said the county is currently waiting to receive an executed contract for the grant money.
The county is also looking to receive $76,000 for its accessible housing program.
The planning department held a public meeting on Wednesday for the housing program but received no comments.
Gavazzi said the department may receive notification about the funding within the next three weeks.
Turning again to funding that the department has received, the department has received $38,000 in grant funding through Marcellus Shale dollars. The money will be used for accessible housing for people with permanent physical disabilities.
Citizens Against Physical, Sexual and Emotional Abuse (CAPSEA) received an additional $25,000 for rental assistance and supportive housing through the social service side.
The department has been getting a lot of grant funding recently.
Through Gavazzi’s work with the housing programs and the work of Tracy Gerber with the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding, the department has brought in $1 million in the past three months.
Elk County Commissioner Matt Quesenberry added that expenses have increased and stiffer regulations have made it harder to do as many projects as the department may hope to do.
Gavazzi said he hopes to do 20 to 25 projects with the $500,000 grant, depending on the regulations that govern the projects.
“What we are anticipating we would like to do with the money and how many projects we would like to do is going to significantly deteriorate because of the guidelines and restrictions that are being placed on the program,” Gavazzi said.
Planning Director Jodi Foster said the program is now subject to prevailing wages, which would increase project costs by an estimated 30 percent.
“It’s really going to have an impact on the amount of projects we can do using the money,” Foster said.
She added the planning department has been active in bringing the issue of prevailing wages to state government officials. The funds the department has received are federal funds, but it would be state regulations that would require prevailing wages.
Prevailing wages would require the county to pay wages to contractors with figures determined by the state.
Federal regulations create an exemption for residential projects over $25,000 but the new state regulations would not have the same exemption.
Gavazzi said that projects in Elk County are usually over $30,000.
Adding to this issue is the fact the department may have to bring more contracted inspectors in to review projects due to increased regulations for things like asbestos and radon since the county is unable to conduct those tests themselves.
The regulations have created a lot of work for the county, contractors and homeowners under this program.
Gavazzi said that 150 documents may need completed per project.
The planning commission’s next meeting is scheduled for Jan. 25, 2017.
The commission will be searching for a new member after one member resigned for health reasons. Officials said the commission will look to fill the vacancy from someone within Jay, Benezette or Millstone townships.
Commission officials are also looking for ways to increase participation at their meetings as they are running into issues with fielding quorums for their meetings. Some ideas discussed include appointing alternate members for each of the nine members or lowering the amount of board members needed to have a quorum.
