Stantonsburg project: Rehab or destruction? - Wayne-Wilson News Leader, Fremont, NC

19 July 2007 — Things may not be going quite as expected for projects under the Community Development Block Grant in Stantonsburg, according to Commissioner Hubert Tyson.

At a recent town meeting, Mr. Tyson brought up a few concerns he had with the project, which uses grant monies from a community development block grant to renovate local homes and provide sewer infrastructure.

The original scope of the plan was to refurbish nine homes and demolish one, while also providing street paving and sewer infrastructure to Church Street. Each home refurbished had a spending cap of $30,000 for the repairs.

Mr. Tyson told the board he had originally voted for the project because of the infrastructure, and refrained from voting on houses included because he owned two of the properties that were being rehabilitated.

However, he felt that the project is now going in a direction that he doesn’t agree with.

Mr. Tyson told the board that one homeowner whose home was slated for repairs contacted him. The homeowner said that he had been contacted and told that his house needed to be demolished instead of refurbished. The representative also told the man that he would be relocated to another home.

Mr. Tyson then contacted the project manager, who told him that a state rule prevented them from fixing homes that required more financial input to repair than the structure is worth.

“If you aren’t going to rehab the house,” said Mr. Tyson, “then what’s the point of the grant?”

He said he’s also been informally told that one of the houses he owns could also be demolished. He said his frustration may cause him to remove his houses from the project altogether.

“If you can’t fix my neighbor’s house, don’t fix mine either,” he said.
Commissioner Dan Whitley, who also had homes involved in the original project, said the same thing had happened to him.

“They wanted to tear down my houses and relocate people,” he said. “ I opted out, so they ain’t doin’ nothing for me.”

Town Manager Gary Davis said that he had heard the frustrations of several people, and is planning to have a meeting with the project manager to sort everything out. He said he hopes to have a meeting with the company and all of the homeowners to sort everything out.

“I think if we all get together, maybe we can get this straightened out,” he said.

Back to this week's News Leader