LaHarpe finishing surveys for housing rehabilitation; Johnson funds may be used to repair senior center

LaHarpe is nearly finished with the application process for a $350,000 CDAP grant through the Western Illinois Regional Council.

The public hearing was held Monday where WIRC's Kevin Wiehardt explained the application process and how the grant can be used by LaHarpe.

The city is nearly done with collecting surveys by residents who are interested in the grant, which provides up to $49,000 per house for repairs to bring the home up to code. Once the surveys are done, they are sent in with the application. LaHarpe should find out if they are accepted for the grant in March.

The city council had several votes at its meeting following the public hearing. The public hearing was needed to show sufficient interest by the community for the grant. The city council passed a resolution of support for the grant, then passed a resolution approving using up to $9,000 as a loan to residents who needed a few extra dollars over the $49,000 limit to complete repairs on their house. The loan to a resident is at 1 percent and repayable over five years.

The resolution also earned the city three extra points on its application.

“Three points is sometimes the difference between being approved and not being approved,” said Wiehardt. “It doesn't guarantee approval, but it does help.”

The CDAP grant is different from the housing rehabilitation grant the city received last year. The grant last year could be used by anyone in town that qualified. The CDAP grant is used only in a targeted area of the town.

The council approved a new plat so Larry Hobby could sell about two acres of farmland. The plans were held up by a few mislabels and determining if the road to the land was a private road or a city street.

Cemetery mower Linda Thompson and the city are splitting a nearly $350 repair to a veteran's plaque and a chipped stone. Thompson said she did not damage the stone and plaque, while a nephew of the family said the damage occurred recently. Thompson offered to pay for half the repair.

The council accepted suggestions from Gary Housewright concerning repair work to a partially-collapsed building on Main Street. Housewright suggested redoing parts of the brick, doing tuck pointing and sealing the brick to improve stability. Housewright Contracting is working on demolishing the building in sections and adding steel beams to secure the walls.

The council is looking into possibly using money from the Johnson Fund to help pay for needed repairs at the Senior Citizens Center. The center has a list of repairs totaling about $10,000, based on two bids for the work. Work includes foundation work, replacing three windows, and tuck pointing. The center has about $4,500 left from a $10,000 grant received earlier this year.

The Johnson Land Committee set lease terms on upcoming bids for farming and hunting land. The lease on farming land was set at three years. Bids are opened in November. The lease begins March 1.

Hunting land is bid in January and opened in February. The lease is for five years and starts on March 1.

The council approved a one-year liquor license renewal for Casey's General Store. The license costs $1,000.