While the Owner-Occupied Housing Rehabilitation Grant process in the City of Knox was expected to move into the next phase by securing potential contractors, things hit a slight snag when no one attended the pre-bid meeting.
Mayor Dennis Estok informed City Council members about the situation when they met for their final meeting of the month in November.
He explained, “In this meeting, we were going to take them to every house, the five houses so they could give them the scope of work and they could do the measuring for roofs and all that.” He continued, “We sent something out probably to thirteen or fourteen contractors to bid on those five homes. We did not have anybody show up.”
Mayor Estok added that this is apparently a rare occurrence.
He noted, “This is the first time it’s ever happened […] Area Five has never had where they did not have any contractors bid on work, they have not experienced that.”
The City was able to start this process after receiving a $195,000 Community Development Block Grant through the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority.
The program is geared at assisting local homeowners, primarily low and moderate income individuals as well people with disabilities. Funding assistance is provided to help make repairs that, if left unaddressed, could create an issue with the integrity of the house or become a detriment to the residents’ quality of life.
Estok said there will be another effort to contact contractors who might be interested in bidding on the projects. He added that he knows of at least two individuals who expressed an interest previously but they were unable to make it to the pre-bid meeting.
Mayor Estok indicated that the goal is to hold another meeting before the end of the year.
If you have any questions or an interest in performing the work, contact the Mayor’s Office at 574-772-4553.
