Amid the current effort to get through winter, the Danville City Council Public Works Committee has taken some steps for future projects. One is intended to be done in the spring; the other intended to really get going in the spring. During Tuesday (Jan 14th) evening’s meeting, the committee approved a bid for $89,000; with the funding provided by a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), to prepare a third home for the First Presbyterian Church’s Dwelling Place in the 100 North Franklin Street Area.
With two homes already operational, the third one would be at Franklin and Payne, with an address of 123 Payne Avenue. As Danville Community Development Administrator Logan Cronk reminds us, these homes are owned by the church’s Dwelling Place, but offered to the city to have somewhere for homeless families to go to have a roof over their heads while they get back on their feet. Hence, its name, the Dwelling Place.
AUDIO: The homes that have been rehabilitated and that will be rehabilitated are still owned, and will remain in the ownership, of the Dwelling Place. They will operate it. The City of Danville is simply stepping in to provide rehabilitation assistance for one of the properties to become habitable again for transitional housing.
Cronk says the bid was submitted by local contractor Dreamworks, and that the first floor of the structure will be prepared for families in the Dwelling Place program.
AUDIO: They specialize in the City of Danville’s grant work. They do grant work with IDA and CDBG. And it’s simply just transitional housing. I believe the common stay is about a month, and then they switch to a new family or individual.
Danville Community Development Administrator Logan Cronk (second from left) and Director of Public Works David Ruwe (third from left) during Tuesday evening’s Danville City Council Public Works Committee meeting.
Meanwhile, the committee also approved a $19,900 purchase order for the Farnsworth Group for their work on design revisions for the new Garfield Park design. As Director of Public Works David Ruwe reminds us; this is the Garfield Park renovation that ended up being separated from the pool project; and will include items like the new football field, playground equipment for various ages; and walking paths, sidewalks, and parking.
AUDIO: That’s what this was, was just readjusting that purchase order to cover everything. So now, that’s already been bid out, awarded through Council and everything. We’re actually going to have the pre-construction meeting here towards the end of January.
Ruwe says the idea is to really get going in the spring, and to have all eyes very much focused on this coming fall.
AUDIO: There might be a sidewalk or two that have changed a little bit, just to create a little bit more of a streamlined approach so that we can reduce costs. The intent right now, I would assume; it’s looking like by the beginning of football season everything should be wrapped up out there.
Both items will come before the full Danville City Council at their January 21st meeting.
