HUMBOLDT — Beth Barlow’s plans to build eight new homes around Humboldt appealed to Humboldt city council members Monday night in their decision to give Barlow permission to use the city as her vehicle to apply for state funding through a state Moderate Income Housing grant.
Humboldt officials selected Barlow over Jeri Hammerschmidt, representing First Step Builders, LLC of Spring Hill, who also hoped to use the same funding vehicle as Barlow.
Hammerschmidt’s plans were to develop about 2 acres at 441 Franklin in the Sterling Ridge subdivision north of town. The city owns the land and was willing to essentially gift the land to First Step in return for its development.
“I’ve been trying to give this land away for 20 years,” said Cole Herder, city administrator.
The hang-up has been the property’s lack of infrastructure; primarily a street.
Utilities are not the problem, council members agreed, but extending Sterling Ridge Drive another block could cost the city upward of $150,000, Herder estimated.
“Absolutely not,” said council member Cindy Holinsworth of her willingness to support such an investment. “If we can ‘find’ dollars for this, then I’d rather they go for employee raises.”
The matter turned council members in favor of Barlow’s proposal to construct eight moderate-income homes on empty lots scattered across town. Barlow, a B&W Trailer Hitches official, said she was aiming to request $450,000 through the grant to help with the construction. The lots are owned by JW-JW Real Estate, local benefactors Joe and Jane Works.
Barlow applied for the same funding two years ago but was denied.
“But obviously, the need is still there,” she said. “So, I dusted the proposal off a little bit and got it ready to put out there in the world again.”
The deadline for submitting the grant application is in early November.
Council members encouraged Hammerschmidt to keep in touch.
“There’s still lots of ways we could make this happen,” said Mayor Nobby Davis to Hammerschmidt. “We just need to get creative.”
IN OTHER ACTION:
• Inspection of the city’s water lines for suspected lead contamination will occur in 2024, Herder said. Almost half, 49%, of the funding for the months-long project will come through the Kansas Public Water Supply Loan Fund. Cost is estimated to be “at least” $100,000, Herder said. A hearing for the loan application will be at Council’s Nov. 13 meeting.
