History was made in Danville today (July 8, 2019) as Public Works employees began the process of demolishing six buildings at the Fair Oaks Public Housing area. A crowd watched as heavy equipment started ripping into one of the buildings where eight apartments had been located.
Jacqueline Vinson, Executive Director of the Housing Authority of Danville, was one of those watching the action. She noted the building seemed to fight back….
”Brick buildings were very well built when they were built,” said Vinson. ”It’s brick, and then cinder block, and then plaster and lathe. So she put up a fight, but they’re making some progress on her. (They’re) getting the exterior down first so they can get that hauled away tomorrow, and then they’ll start folding the walls in.”
Vinson said the day had been a long-time coming. Efforts have been underway for years to remove some buildings in that area on Danville’s northeast side.
The Housing Authority of Danville is paying the city to remove the six buildings. The first one to be demolished was built in 1949.
Vinson says the Housing Authority relocated 57 families from the buildings….
”The vast majority took Tenant Protection Vouchers, which is just a specific name for Section 8 Vouchers that are dedicated to people impacted by demolition projects,” said Vinson. ”And those Tenant Protection Vouchers, I think were about forty-five of the fifty-seven families took Tenant Protection Vouchers. And I believe thirty-seven of those vouchers left our jurisdiction and the remainder leased up in Vermilion County.”
[Note: You can click on the photos to enlarge them.]
And Vinson added the Housing Authority of Danville is already planning for a second phase of the demolition program.
Fair Oaks has been a high crime area over the years, but Danville Police say often people who do not live there are the ones causing problems.
