Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Home restoration, construction could begin by first of year

Soon the sound of hammers pounding nails into wood could be common in Nevada County.

This, according to Jon Chadwell, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office, is because applications have been sent to the Arkansas Department of Finance Administration (ADFA) to restore or rebuild homes in the county.

Chadwell told the Nevada County Quorum Court, at its September meeting, several applications were submitted and from these, a number of homes were beyond repair and need to be torn down. Others, though, can be renovated.

One good thing about the program, he said, is the amount the state approved rose from $350,000 to $400,000.

When homes are rebuilt under the new guidelines, the entire $65,000 goes toward helping those in need. For those homes to be renovated, a total of $25,000 can be spent to make the needed improvements which include insulation, wiring, heating, air conditioning and plumbing, to get the house up to code.

Chadwell said letters have been sent to ADFA for approval. When ADFA approves the applications contractors can be hired and work begun. Approval, he added, could take six to eight weeks.

Construction could begin around the first of 2005, he said. Most of the homes involved are in the south part of Nevada County.

"It's nice to find a program that doesn't cost the county anything," he said, "but helps people like this one did."

Another "nice" thing is the company can begin accepting applications for new clients once 70 percent of the money has been spent.

Leadership Nevada County is going well, Chadwell said, with applications being accepted for the Class of 2005. "We want a diverse group and don't get many from the south part of the county or minority candidates. It's a worthwhile program and people get a lot out of it."

August saw three or four prospects visit the county, he said, with the old armory shown once and the garment building twice. "It's encouraging, things had slowed down."

Another prospect was taken to Rosston to look at some property.

The street project in Prescott, he said, will be "fun", and has begun. The sidewalk project was an inconvenience for some, and people complained, with the same response expected from the street project.

"It will be messy," he said. "There will be times it could be difficult for some people to get to and from their homes, but everyone should be pleased when it's done."

When asked how long the project would take, Chadwell said 365 calendar days, though the contractor could get an extension if there are problems  such as inclement weather. Originally, it was thought the project would take two years, but the engineer wrote the 365 days into the specs and there were no problems with companies bidding.

Work started near the Assembly of God Church near the city street department. This street, Chadwell said, will take a lot of work because the contractor had to go to base on it.

Utility poles have been order for the walking/jogging trail project, he said, and will arrive in four to six weeks. These poles need to be installed before the other work is done.

The city, he said, will do a lot of the work, and the entire project shouldn't take more than a couple of months once it starts. There will be eight benches at different locations around the track for people to sit and rest on, and there will be a route cut through the track for those wanting to walk shorter distances.

Overall, the track will be about a half mile in circumference.

Questions were asked about the status of the old hospital building. Chadwell said there has been no activity on it, primarily because of the cost of renovation involved.

However, he said, there is a program under consideration wherein if a business or industry wanted the building, a long-term lease for a low rate could be negotiated and the business do the repairs. This has successfully been done in other cities.

Such a program, he said, is a win-win situation as the building get occupied and jobs are created.

The buildings available in Prescott were advertised and calls received, but no proposals made for any of them, he said. The proposal deadline was Sept. 15.

"We're trying to be proactive," he said. "We'll keep showing it, but we're not getting many who want to see it anymore."

One possible use for the hospital building, he said, is for community purposes  such as a Boys or Girls Club. However, while these are worthwhile programs and money is available to renovate the building to accommodate them, the problem is coming up with the money to continue operations.