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WHEELING -- Wheeling city officials are moving forward with a proposed program to allow property owners looking to make repairs to their homes to do so utilizing federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Members of the Development Committee of Council met recently with Wheeling Development Director Nancy Prager to discuss the Homeowner-Occupied Repair Assistance Program. Prager noted that the program is an eligible use of federal pandemic relief funds made available to the city through its ARPA allocation.
"It’s not like the facade grant program," Prager explained, stating that the city’s popular Facade Improvement Program provides matching public funds to homeowners who invest their own money into improving their properties. "This is a direct grant."
Prager said the newly proposed program is based on the similar program that was implemented in Moundsville using pandemic relief funds. Council members on hand during the Development Committee meeting voiced support for the program, and the committee unanimously moved to forward legislation to city council.
The full Wheeling City Council is scheduled to vote on a resolution pertaining to the proposal at their upcoming regular meeting at noon Tuesday at the City-County Building.
Eligible participants on the program must own and occupy the home within the city limits that will be repaired using the funds. Initial discussions put the direct grant amount through the program at $5,000 per household.
The resolution provides that the new program will use, in part, ARPA funds as financial assistance to aid residents with exterior home improvements. That in turn will "provide a positive impact upon home repair, upkeep and the overall beautification of the community," according to the resolution.
Other new legislation scheduled for first readings during Tuesday’s meeting include distribution of sizable chunks of federal Community Development Block Grant funds.
New ordinances are being introduced to enter into agreements with Helping Heroes to provide $253,988 for repairs and renovations to its new center, with Laughlin Chapel to provide $100,000 for an outdoor play area and with the YWCA to provide $250,000 for renovations. All distributions are listed as being CDBG City Wide Projects for 2022.
In other action Tuesday, a new ordinance is scheduled to be introduced for the purchase of a new 2024 International Construction dump truck for the city’s Water Pollution Control Division. The purchase amount is $154,787 for the vehicle from Hill International Trucks LLC of St. Clairsville.
Also Tuesday, council is expected to hear first readings on legislation authorizing:
- the purchase of a root control system from Duke’s Root Control of Syracuse, N.Y., for the Water Pollution Control Division in the amount of $49,997.
- expenditure of $120,000 with Grow OV for grant administration costs to be charged to the city’s general fund.
- an agreement for the city to provide for an outdoor dining grant in the amount of $20,000 for 1055 Market St. Late last year, the city transferred a vacant lot to the owner of the adjacent building at 1055 Market St. - Dean Connors - who subsequently refurbished the lot into an outdoor dining space accessible from the Plaza on Market.