Marseilles wraps up first round of home rehab program

Many communities have applied for this round of Community Development Block Grants after seeing the success Marseilles had with its first round with the program.

The City Council conducted a public hearing Wednesday wrapping up the original program after the council applied again just last month.

Shug Grosenbach, from the North Central Illinois Council of Governments, said Marseilles was the first community in Northern Illinois to apply for the grant that allowed the city to rehabilitate 10 homes.

Marseilles received $393,300 for the project and the city pitched in $10,000, along with $5,000 from Ottawa Savings Bank, $2,500 from Marseilles Bank and $2,500 from NuCor. The project cost a total of $413,300.

Grosenbach said the people that qualify come from low-to-moderate income homes and the homes must be owner-occupied. Any recipient of money to rehabilitate the home must remain living there for five years.

Marseilles application for another CDBG grant was submitted recently. Grosenbach said six local communities applied for the grant, including Streator and Ottawa.