Athens County is in the process of extending a housing initiative that currently addresses an array of housing needs in the county’s cities.
The Athens County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing Tuesday at the county building, where it discussed the $1 million from the Ohio Development Services Agency that Athens County is eligible to apply for. The money would be used to run the Community Housing Impact Preservation program, which provides aid to residents for home repair, home ownership assistance and rental home repair.
Jessie Powers, community development manager of Hocking-Athens-Perry Community Action, or HAPCAP, said the county is considering applying with Nelsonville and the City of Athens for funding under the program.
“It’s a competitive program,” Powers said. “(The state) looked favorably on the partnership of the cities with the county. It’s competitive, so there’s a chance that Athens might not get what it’s asking for.”
Powers said she was not sure if the million dollars that Athens is eligible for is a fixed limit for all counties and cities within the state. However, the three parties are planning on applying for the maximum amount, though it is not guaranteed that they will receive the amount they apply for.
Athens county and city officials will meet with Nelsonville officials at 10 a.m. on April 11 to discuss which parts of the program will be best applicable in addressing the county’s housing needs.
Another highlight from the meeting was the bids for asphalt contractors so that the county could repair some damaged roadways.
“If we can get a good bid we can save a significant amount of money,” Athens County Commissioner Chris Chmiel said. “The money would go toward the roads.”
Jeff Maiden, Athens County engineer, could not be reached by press time for comment on how much money the county would spend on road repair or how much money would be saved from the bids.
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This article originally appeared in print under the headline "Housing program is ‘competitive’."
