Knox City Council Meets New Officer, Approves Use of Community Center

Posted on Author WKVI
Eric Vanderhoff
Eric Vanderhoff

The new officer at the Knox City Police Department introduced himself to the Knox City Council members Tuesday night. Eric Vanderhoff said he will be headed to the police academy on March 31 for 15 weeks of training. He’s been on the road for six months and getting to know the area. He will return to the Knox City Police Department when his training is complete. Vanderhoff was hired last spring.

The city council also approved the use of the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center on April 25 for an event hosted by Women Anchored in Hope. The council approved the use of half of the great room, but if there are more people than anticipated then they could use the entire room.

A contract was approved to have Anne Mannix complete all of the paperwork with the Blight Elimination Program grant. The contract is for $50 an hour, not to exceed $10,000. The city attorney will review the contract.

The city council members also recognized that George Byer was reappointed as the park superintendent. That action was completed this month.

City of Knox Moving Forward with Blight Elimination Program

Posted on Author WKVI

City_of_Knox_LogoKnox Mayor Rick Chambers updated the city council last week on the Blight Elimination Program.

The city received a grant for $187,000 that will aid in the cost of removing blighted,vacant and abandoned homes in the city. A majority of the homes on the list are in the Parkview Heights area.

Mayor Chambers explained that the state does not want the purchased properties for demolition under this grant in the name of the city. They want a holding company that is not associated with the city. Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Charlie Weaver said the city could use the development foundation as a holding company. City Attorney David Matsey will draft a Memorandum of Understanding with the development foundation to hold those properties for three years.

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Knox City Council Approves Grant Match for Blight Elimination Program Grant

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox City Council
Knox City Council

The Knox City Council approved a 10 percent match to attempt to get a grant to rid the city of some unsafe homes.

It’s part of the Blight Elimination Program which would assist the city in purchasing homes that are listed as unsafe and blighted and demolish them. The majority of the homes that would be considered for this grant are in the Parkview Heights area.

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City of Knox Pursuing “Hardest Hit” Grant for Parkview

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox City Council
Knox City Council

The Knox City Council this week approved the purchase of five lots in Parkview Heights, each of which was up for tax sale in the county but, because it was up for tax sale previously and did not sell, the city was able to purchase the properties for $35 each from the county. The city has acquired more than a dozen properties in the neighborhood, and Mayor Rick Chambers said the city is looking into options as far as what they can do to improve Parkview Heights and make it a safer place to live.

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