Carbon seeks contractors

Carbon County needs a few more contractors to help with its home rehabilitation program projects.

On Thursday, the county commissioners spoke about the need for additional general, electrical, plumbing and heating contractors to participate in the county’s home rehabilitation program, which helps low to moderate income families complete projects that may otherwise be financially unavailable to them.

Commissioner William O’Gurek said only a few contractors are signed up for the program, which permits them to bid on the projects.

“Contractors who would like to do this kind of work should contact our office of planning and development to become eligible to bid on these projects,” O’Gurek said.

Home rehabs

The county currently has $338,000 to use toward helping eligible homeowners complete home improvement projects such as the replacement of roofs, windows, doors, siding, heating systems; upgrading electrical and plumbing systems; insulation; weatherization; and building code violations.

The recipients, who remain anonymous as part of the program’s process, can receive up to $12,000 in funding through Act 137, which is generated through fees charged for the recording of documents in the Carbon County Recorder of Deeds office. If the project comes in over $12,000, the homeowner can then either pay the difference or change the scope of work to be completed.

O’Gurek said the commissioners asked the office of planning and development to increase the number of projects completed in the round to 25 or 30.

“We want to see this program move forward,” he said. “We want to help those people who need help.”

There is a waiting list for the program so applicants may need to wait a few years before their project is completed, officials said.

Eligibility

A requirement to be eligible is that the person must own the home and live in it, Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard said.

Families must also meet income guidelines to be eligible.

The program is free, as long as the homeowner does not sell the house within three years of the rehabilitation project. If they do, they must repay the county the cost of the project.

For more information on eligibility requirements, call the Carbon County Office of Planning and Development at 570-325-3671 or go to http://bit.ly/295dZxF.

The office can be reached from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.