Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Chadwell gives farewell address to Court

Jon Chadwell, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office, gave his farewell address to the Nevada County Quorum Court.

Chadwell, who recently accepted a similar job at Newport, said it's been good working with the Court the last five-and-a-half years and appreciated the support he's been given. "I've enjoyed it, and we've got a lot done. What we did was all pull together."

A search is currently underway to find a replacement for Chadwell.

In discussing the home renovation project, he said the federal government changed the laws, passing the changes to the states. If a house can be repaired for $25,000 there's no cost to the homeowner, if other criteria are met. But, if this isn't enough, the structure could be razed and a new one built. If this option is taken, the new home would be valued at $80,000, with $40,000 forgiven and the remaining amount financed in a 15-year loan at 1 percent interest.

However, he said, it will be up to the state to determine if the homeowner can pay the mortgage or not. If the state determines the homeowner can't meet the financial demands, they will be kicked out of the program.

This happened to two of the applicants from the county. Chadwell said the contractor filed an objection, which was also denied. Two other applicants were substituted in their place and must go through the same process.

The problem is, he said, the ones who got kicked out really needed it, but the rules are more strict than they have been in the past. Washington, D.C. will be lobbied to change the laws to help the needy.

Another problem encountered in the program is some of the residents have their homes in living trusts. This means the houses are in the names of a child or other relative, but they can live there the rest of their lives. But, under the terms of the program, the actual homeowner must have lived there five years.

As to the walking trail project, Chadwell said it's still too wet to do anything yet, but work will begin when it dries up enough.

The new business in the garment plant, he said, has hired eight more people and plans to hire more. The other business in the facility should get started within the next 30 days, and should hire about 30 people.

Prescott Rubber, Inc., is doing tests to make sure its product is acceptable and getting ready to fire up. When it's fully operational, he said, it should hire 40-45 people.

Meanwhile, the company is renting the old armory to store materials and product. Chadwell said once the plant gets going, it may need to hire more people at the armory location.

A lot of places need to be fixed again on the paving project, he said. The street work is being watched by an engineer to make sure the crews do the job right. Chadwell said work on the streets should start up again mid-April.