Grant to fund housing rehab project in county

By MARK SAGE/Staff

Housing needs in Washington and Smyth counties received a healthy dose of federal funds Wednesday as People Inc. and the Mount Rogers Planning District Commission received $113,304 each for rehabilitation projects.

Robert Goldsmith, president and chief executive officer of People Inc., said the grant money would be used for a planned rehabilitation project on Rush Creek Road.

The Rural Development Preservation Grant, Goldsmith said, will join other funds, including a $451,171 Community Development Block Grant, to be used on housing and wastewater needs in the Rush Creek area.

Goldsmith said People Inc., along with Mount Rogers Planning District Commission, is in the gathering money stage, meeting with the state to work on a to-do list. He anticipates that construction will begin sometime after the end of the calendar year.

The project will include the rehabilitation of six homes, substantial reconstruction of nine homes, installation or repair of 13 septic systems and three homes will be equipped with handicapped accessible items. It will affect 38 low- to moderate-income residents in 15 households.

A county Housing Assessment Project conducted last year by People Inc. found Rush Creek Road in the most need. Preliminary results showed that of 84 parcels surveyed, 14 had no record of a septic system and 7.2 percent lacked indoor plumbing. People Inc. also surveyed communities along Mendota, Fall Hill Road, Indian Run Road and Hawke Road.

The remaining portion of the $600,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Office Grant was divided among Southwest Virginia towns to buy police and fire vehicles and to improve health care facilities.

The $113,304 destined for Saltville will be used to fix at least 12 homes, according to Scott Booth of the Mount Rogers Planning District Commission. Booth said the money would be used with an existing $385,000 block grant and $12,000 from the town to alleviate the substandard housing problem on Buckeye Street.

Booth said the project, which includes several rehabilitations, weatherization, additions, constructing porches and at least one completely new home, would likely serve more than 12 homes. The USDA money, he said was an unexpected treat that would allow the project to be expanded; however, he said how many other homes could be assisted would have to be determined after construction begins.

“I’m pleased that we got funded,” Booth said.

Other grants included $18,750, $21,500, $27,500, $37,500 to towns of Clintwood, St. Paul, Gate City and Weber City, respectively, for police vehicles, $25,000 to the Whitewood Volunteer Fire Department for equipment, $35,250 for improvements at Dickenson Community Hospital, $37,500 to the Wise Rescue Squad for an ambulance, $50,000 to Clintwood for a fire truck and equipments, $50,000 to the town of Damascus for a health clinic parking lot and $50,000 for a fire truck and $13,913 for a defibrillator in the town of Wise.

In addition to the USDA grant, People Inc. received a $200,000 grant through the U.S. Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions Program to be used to recapitalize its revolving loan fund to promote business growth and job creation in the region, according to U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher.

Goldsmith said the grant would be used to expand the nonprofit’s program to loan money to people looking to start a business. In the past, the maximum amount available has been $100,000. Goldsmith said the Treasury funds would allow People Inc. to make loans of up to $200,000.

The small business loan program was established, with the help of a $1 million Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission grant, in 2003.

Debra McCown of the Bristol Herald Courier and Caitlin Sullivan of the Washington County News contributed to this report.