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Home improvements

MSHDA?grants available to homeowners for exterior upgrades

A Case Street sign near downtown Negaunee is pictured. The street is part of a neighborhood area selected for a Michigan State Housing Development Authority Neighborhood Enhancement Program grant. Under the grant, eligible homeowners in the target area could receive up to $7,499 for projects that improve the appearance of their property. (Journal photo by Lisa Bowers)

NEGAUNEE — Up to seven homeowners in one Negaunee neighborhood may be eligible for grant funds to improve the appearance of their property, but time is of the essence.

City officials are working with the Central Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Regional Commission, or CUPPAD, along with Jason Wallner, the U.P. veteran navigator for the Northcare Network, to administer a $50,000 Neighborhood Enhancement grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.

The inaugural program is intended to help homeowners within the area bordered by East Peck Street to the north, Mckenzie Avenue to the west, Lincoln Street to the south and portions of Division Street and Teal Lake Avenue to the east. The 100 block of East Main Street between Division Street and McKenzie Avenue, and the 100 block of East Case Street between Teal Lake Avenue are within the border.

Homeowners in the target area could be eligible for between $500 and $7,499 for qualifying home improvements, CUPPAD Executive Director Dotty Lajoye said, and officials would like to choose eligible homeowners by Aug. 15.

She said residents in the selected neighborhood got a letter Wednesday detailing the program along with a self-certification form showing the income guidelines.

“It tells them a little bit about what we are doing, and why we are doing it and who qualifies,” Lajoye said. “We want them to know that this is legitimate, that this isn’t some sort of a scam. People are so shy, they are getting hit all the time, and they don’t know what is legitimate.”

Qualifying applicants must be the owner who occupies the property; must not own any property that is tax delinquent; must have current homeowners insurance; does not own, or has not been the prior owner of any properties transferred to the county treasurer, or to a local government as the result of tax foreclosure; does not own any property that is subject to a citation of violation of the state and/or local codes and ordinances; and have a household income at or below 120% of the Marquette County median income.

Eligible improvements include painting and decorating, new siding, seeding and planting, the construction of ramps for accessibility, landscaping, installation of pavers, roofs, awnings and gutters, and replacement of new windows and doors if existing ones are damaged and beyond repair.

Cost estimates from two contractors are required for any work funded by MSHDA.

Homeowners who have the funding and wish to complete a more extensive project on their home than what the grant can pay for would be able to do so, Lajoye said.

“Those folks should contact me to get details,” Lajoye said.

Lajoye said CUPPAD is also seeking licensed, insured contractors who would have time to complete the work this summer and fall.

The neighborhood was chosen, in part, because its residents fall between the MSHDA guideline of 120% of the median area income based on census tracking numbers, Lajoye said. It was also selected for its proximity to the city’s downtown.

“You know, it beautifies that gateway into the city along with all the other great work that’s going on downtown … Neighborhoods get stronger and it’s just kind of infectious,” Lajoye said. “And, though it’s almost like curb appeal, it’s still helping people … These are great neighborhoods in the city. They are great, but these houses are older. Many of them were probably built back in the turn of the 19th century. It’s constant work. I own an older house in Marquette and fixing up the porch is not always a priority when you need a new furnace or you need new plumbing.”

Negaunee City Manager Nate Heffron said he sees this year’s Neighborhood Enhancement Program as a pilot program in the city.

“What we are looking at doing here is we are trying to pinpoint some places for now, because we would like to do this again, but we are kind of testing the waters out here,” Heffron said. “We want to be able to help a wide variety of people, not just people of low-to-moderate income, but veterans as well.”

Residents or contractors with questions about the program are asked to contact Lajoye at 906-786-9234 ext. 1376, or by email at dlajoye@cuppad.org.

Lisa Bowers can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242. Her email address is lbowers@miningjournal.net.

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