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NEWS
Council to consider paving, demolition
HUNTINGTON -- Huntington City Council this evening will consider contracts for street paving and tearing down dilapidated homes.
The council will vote on a $457,000 paving contract that, if approved, means blacktop crews could be out in force within the next two weeks.
The city will be able to pave about four miles of roads with the funding available. Because of budget constraints, the city hasn't paved any streets since 2004. Huntington voters defeated an excess levy in 2006 that would have provided $3 million for paving.
Mayor David Felinton did not allocate any money for street paving in the 2008-2009 budget proposal that he distributed to council members in February. But the final version that council members approved in March included $430,000 for street resurfacing this year. The federal Community Development Block Grant program will cover the remaining $27,000 of the paving contract.
The council also will vote on a contract that city officials believe will shave a couple of months off the time it takes to tear down a condemned home.
Because of several legal hurdles, it can take city officials at least six months, if not longer, to get clearance for demolition. The problem is compounded by the fact that the city's demolition program is severely underfunded, considering the number of homes on the demolition list.
The solution lies within the way the city awards demolition contracts, said Charles Holley, director of development and planning. In the past, the city selected a dozen or so condemned homes and advertised them through a legal notice in the newspaper. Demolition contractors bid on each property, with the lowest bidder receiving a contract to tear down the home.
Under the new process, the city has asked contractors to enter bids based on how much they will charge for every square foot of property they demolish. For example, R&B Tassen Construction of Huntington submitted a low bid of $2.75 per square foot. If City Council approves the contract, the city will use R&B Tassen Construction for all of its demolition needs over the next year.
The new process eliminates the need to seek bids and have contracts approved by council every time a home is approved for demolition. The city of Charleston uses the same practice, Holley said.
The city has $314,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds to use for demolition. If City Council approves the contract, R&B Tassen will immediately tear down 11 dilapidated properties, Holley said. They include 739 7th St.; 515-21 West 6th St.; 516-22 West 6th St.; 1259 Jefferson Ave.; 228 Buffington St.; 4440 Piedmont Road; 1033 28th St.; 1508 9th Ave.; 1507 9th Ave.; 1679 11th Ave.; and the garage at 103 Oakland Ave.
Those properties are among 100 that are sitting on the city's demolition list. A few have been on the list for more than three years.
The council meets at 7:30 p.m. today at City Hall, 800 5th Ave.
