Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cdbg Demolition topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Vermillion County holds final public hearing on Dana demolition CDBG application
Summary
County staff held a final public hearing on a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) demolition application for three blighted buildings in Dana, outlining a $581,050 project with a $500,000 grant request and an $81,050 local match. Redevelopment officials urged approval and noted the project’s public‑health rationale.
Vermillion County commissioners heard a final public hearing on a Community Development Block Grant demolition application for three blighted buildings in the town of Dana, county staff said.
County staff member Christy Gerald, presenting for the Redevelopment Commission, said the total project cost is $581,050 and the county is applying for the maximum grant amount of $500,000. Gerald said the local match will be $81,050, consisting of a previously paid $5,000 environmental review and $76,050 from the county economic development fund (local fund number 1149). The final application was to be submitted before the June 20 deadline, Gerald said, and award notices are usually issued around Aug. 21.
The grant application uses the federal CDBG demolition program. Gerald described scoring elements the county has compiled: a 700‑point scoring rubric, a 450‑point award threshold, a strong national objective score tied to a slum‑and‑blight determination, and high community‑distress points. She told commissioners she was scoring the application between about 260 and 296 out of 300 on narrative factors and that the Redevelopment Commission has targeted 16 sites in the county since 2018; six structures have already been demolished.
John Moore, president of the Vermillion County Redevelopment Commission, said the three Dana buildings have been deteriorating since the county acquired them and that demolition would expedite cleanup and the possibility of future reuse. Moore said attempting to tear the buildings down one at a time would be cost prohibitive.
Commission President R.J. Donovan confirmed the project is a top priority for the board during the hearing; commissioners did not take a separate, binding vote on the application during the meeting. Gerald said she planned to submit the application ahead of the June 20 deadline.
If funded, Gerald said the grant would allow the county to remove the three structures and continue redevelopment work in Dana and other targeted sites. Gerald and Moore noted the work is intended to address public‑health and safety risks associated with the blighted structures.
No formal action to obligate funds beyond the described local match was taken at the hearing; Gerald said the county match is already identified in the economic development fund and that earlier environmental review costs have been paid.
