Most of the money the Kankakee Regional Land Bank Authority uses to do its work is derived from state grants.

At its May 26 monthly meeting, the Land Bank discussed applying for another Strong Communities Program grant, or SCP, through the Illinois Housing Development Authority.

The Land Bank previously received a SCP grant for $487,000 and will be looking to secure a similar grant.

Brian White, interim executive director of the Land Bank, learned the Land Bank can’t apply for the grant on its own. The application will have to be submitted by Kankakee County or the city of Kankakee, which both appoint KRLBA board members.

“Both the city and county have been approached about submitting applications,” White said. “I don’t have any specific updates. … I know [Board member Barbi Brewer-Watson] had spoken to the mayor. I don’t know where that stands as far as the county is concerned.”

White added he spoke with Ben Wilson, the county’s transportation and development division manager, who expressed concern about the administrative responsibility of the grant.

“I said, ‘Well, the Land Bank could administer the grant, we just can’t apply for it,” White said. “And he said, ‘That might be more appealing,’ so he was going to find out from the finance department.”

White said he would like the county to apply for the grant and have the Land Bank write the application. The board is hopeful the details can be worked out soon, as the deadline to apply for the grant is June 16.

The Land Bank’s legal counsel, Brent Denzin of Denzin Soltanzadeh LLC of Chicago, said it can be written into the grant that KRLBA is the administrator.

“It can be formal to make the county and the city feel comfortable [with the grant application],” he said.

White said he has heard the IHDA would welcome an application from Kankakee for another SCP grant. The local Land Bank has spent approximately half of its first grant and has the remaining money earmarked for ongoing properties it has secured.

The Land Bank has been spending its previous grant money, that bodes well for securing additional money from IHDA, Denzin said. The amount of the SCP grant would be for $750,000, and that grant would likely be awarded this fall.

“We’re not involved in the grant approval process, but in the past that has been a top priority for those grantees that have been able to spend down what you’re doing, put you in a very favorable position,” Denzin said. “There’s also less land banks than there were before, so that’s something to keep in mind.”

White noted the Land Bank has had a lot of success with closing on some properties and getting the houses rehabbed and sold and the developments with the former Jaffe Drugs building.

“There’s a lot of good things to talk about,” he said.

The Land Bank is currently in the possession of acquiring 16 properties and is looking at another 20 potential properties to acquire, White said.

Other business

The corner lot where a dilapidated house was razed at 254 W. Merchant St. was sold for $1,000 to Marquise Boyd and Luven Belen as a qualified side lot.

“Mr. Boyd was so excited to get this property,” White said. “He was grinning ear to ear, and he told me about how his fiance had plotted out where her garden is going to go. They had gotten trees they’re going to plant. They already put in the permit request for the fence, so he was just ecstatic.”

In addition to the Merchant Street lot, the Land Bank also closed on the sales at 427 S. Chicago Ave., 762 Webster Circle East and 1329 S. Sixth Ave., all in Kankakee.

The board also approved contracts to N&I Roofing of Bonfield for replacement of roofs at 643 S. Myrtle St. for $22,400 and at 980 S. Sixth Ave. for $29,355. Both houses are in Kankakee.

It also approved contracts to M&R Unlimited of Chicago for replacement of porches and interior repairs at 1065 S. Fourth Ave. in Kankakee for $24,531 and at 241 W. Hickory St. for $12,593.

Board member Joseph Nugent said when the Land Bank spends money to rehab a house, it can have a ripple effect on the street and neighborhood.

“It helps if somebody else does it next door or two doors down,” he said. “The idea is really the whole street might be able to be revitalized because of one transaction.”