July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Housing meeting held in Dunkirk (11/9/04)
Sales of Quincy Place homes have been disappointing
DUNKIRK — Some positive steps are being taken to help spur housing sales and improve the overall situation here concerning the beleaguered Quincy Place subdivision.
Dunkirk officials were recently notified by the Indiana Department of Commerce Grants Management Office that the city was being placed on a “findings” list as a result of the unfinished status of the project. This listing will prevent Dunkirk from receiving any additional Community Development Block Grants from the state until satisfactory progress is made on the completion of the single-family housing development.
Plans for Quincy Place were started in the late 1990s. The city received a CDBG grant totaling $480,000 to construct streets and curbing and make utility improvements in anticipation of 42 new homes being built in the area, which borders Highland Avenue east of West Jay Middle School.
However, only 11 homes have been built with four more under construction. At last report, about 20 people were living in the subdivision, rather than the originally anticipated 100.
The homes are geared toward low- to moderate-income people.
At Monday night’s Dunkirk City Council meeting, city officials welcomed an offer of help from Jay County community developer Wayne Bailey on the project.
Bailey said he wasn’t working for the county when the original grant application was submitted and approved, but he would now be willing to take over as the city’s grant administrator, filling out all the necessary paperwork to continue and eventually close out the grant.
Otherwise the city will have to continue to use GAI Consultants Inc. of Fort Wayne. This would mean paying an annual fee of about $750 to the consulting firm, while Bailey said that he could file all the same forms at no cost to the city.
Council members unanimously agreed to accept Bailey’s offer, naming him as the new grant administrator for the project.
Also Mayor Sam Hubbard said he has been in contact with the subdivision’s new real estate agent, Patrick Orr of Eagle Real Estate in Muncie. Hubbard said that a meeting is being planned for later this month between himself, Orr, Bailey, city attorney William Hinkle and Ideal Suburban Homes developer Ralph Biggs to discuss marketing strategies for the project. That meeting will likely be held at Dunkirk City Hall.
In other action at Monday night’s meeting, council members:
•Heard a report from Hubbard that he and city water department superintendent Dace Mumbower had met with Barry Ehinger, consulting engineer with the Bonar Group of Fort Wayne, and Peter Conner of Cleanwater Ozone, also of Fort Wayne, last week to discuss the need to improve water quality in the city.
Hubbard said some new procedures and equipment will be tried to help reduce iron content in the water. Mumbower cautioned that city water may have a “milky appearance” when it first comes from the tap, but that is not harmful and will go away.
•Tabled discussion of a proposed ordinance to borrow sewage treatment plant funds for the water department until a full council was present. Council members James Doughty and Dan Watson were absent from Monday’s meeting.
•Welcomed newly appointed police officer Bobby Johnson to the force. Police Chief Arnold Clevenger said Johnson can begin his duties as soon as he passes all the physical examination requirements for pension purposes.
•Approved a plan by Clevenger to purchase $1,000 worth of new cabinets to do some remodeling work at the police station. Council members agreed to buy the cabinets and other materials from Kitchen Compact Inc. of Muncie, with police department personnel doing the installation work.
•Agreed to spend $750 to replace a defective computer at the fire station. The new computer equipment will be purchased from Dale Anderson of Noblesville who has done work for the police and fire departments in the past.
•Approved the appointments of Roy Rogers Jr. and Tim Stanton as volunteer firefighters.
•Authorized a contribution of $100 toward the Head Start children’s holiday party at the West Jay Community Center.[[In-content Ad]]
Dunkirk officials were recently notified by the Indiana Department of Commerce Grants Management Office that the city was being placed on a “findings” list as a result of the unfinished status of the project. This listing will prevent Dunkirk from receiving any additional Community Development Block Grants from the state until satisfactory progress is made on the completion of the single-family housing development.
Plans for Quincy Place were started in the late 1990s. The city received a CDBG grant totaling $480,000 to construct streets and curbing and make utility improvements in anticipation of 42 new homes being built in the area, which borders Highland Avenue east of West Jay Middle School.
However, only 11 homes have been built with four more under construction. At last report, about 20 people were living in the subdivision, rather than the originally anticipated 100.
The homes are geared toward low- to moderate-income people.
At Monday night’s Dunkirk City Council meeting, city officials welcomed an offer of help from Jay County community developer Wayne Bailey on the project.
Bailey said he wasn’t working for the county when the original grant application was submitted and approved, but he would now be willing to take over as the city’s grant administrator, filling out all the necessary paperwork to continue and eventually close out the grant.
Otherwise the city will have to continue to use GAI Consultants Inc. of Fort Wayne. This would mean paying an annual fee of about $750 to the consulting firm, while Bailey said that he could file all the same forms at no cost to the city.
Council members unanimously agreed to accept Bailey’s offer, naming him as the new grant administrator for the project.
Also Mayor Sam Hubbard said he has been in contact with the subdivision’s new real estate agent, Patrick Orr of Eagle Real Estate in Muncie. Hubbard said that a meeting is being planned for later this month between himself, Orr, Bailey, city attorney William Hinkle and Ideal Suburban Homes developer Ralph Biggs to discuss marketing strategies for the project. That meeting will likely be held at Dunkirk City Hall.
In other action at Monday night’s meeting, council members:
•Heard a report from Hubbard that he and city water department superintendent Dace Mumbower had met with Barry Ehinger, consulting engineer with the Bonar Group of Fort Wayne, and Peter Conner of Cleanwater Ozone, also of Fort Wayne, last week to discuss the need to improve water quality in the city.
Hubbard said some new procedures and equipment will be tried to help reduce iron content in the water. Mumbower cautioned that city water may have a “milky appearance” when it first comes from the tap, but that is not harmful and will go away.
•Tabled discussion of a proposed ordinance to borrow sewage treatment plant funds for the water department until a full council was present. Council members James Doughty and Dan Watson were absent from Monday’s meeting.
•Welcomed newly appointed police officer Bobby Johnson to the force. Police Chief Arnold Clevenger said Johnson can begin his duties as soon as he passes all the physical examination requirements for pension purposes.
•Approved a plan by Clevenger to purchase $1,000 worth of new cabinets to do some remodeling work at the police station. Council members agreed to buy the cabinets and other materials from Kitchen Compact Inc. of Muncie, with police department personnel doing the installation work.
•Agreed to spend $750 to replace a defective computer at the fire station. The new computer equipment will be purchased from Dale Anderson of Noblesville who has done work for the police and fire departments in the past.
•Approved the appointments of Roy Rogers Jr. and Tim Stanton as volunteer firefighters.
•Authorized a contribution of $100 toward the Head Start children’s holiday party at the West Jay Community Center.[[In-content Ad]]
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