Granada Moving Forward on Housing Project

Granada Complex

The Granada Trustees approved a Memorandum of Understanding which will allow a housing construction program for the community to move forward, one of several similar programs being undertaken in southeast Colorado.  The trustees met with Michael Yerman of SCEDD, Southern Colorado Economic Development District and Stephanie Gonzales, Executive Director of SECED, Southeast Colorado Economic Development, during their July 14^th meeting.  They were accompanied by Cheryl Sanchez, Executive Director of Prowers Economic Prosperity as well as the Prowers County Commissioners.

The Southeast Colorado Workforce Housing project, as described by Yerman, aims to build new housing units in each community in the six counties in southeast Colorado, served by SCEDD.  Granada has been asked to supply at least six parcels of land on which either a single-family house will be built, or duplexes to serve the critical housing shortage in this region.  Yerman explained that this is not a low-income housing project, but one that targets essential workers, such as teachers or medical professionals as first priority.

The average price for a new home would be between $150,000 to $199,000, he explained, and each community that buys in to the project is being asked to contribute from six to ten parcels of land.  Developers will submit bids on the entire project which, once it moves forward, will be available for local contractors for the construction.  He specified these will not be houses built on spec, but specifically dedicated to a sale, so no financial risk is being asked of the contractors, based on a pre-sale agreement.  Buyers will have the opportunity to custom-design their homes at an additional cost, pending their selections. The communities that provide the property would make up their costs through municipal utility hook-ups.

Forty units are needed in the six participating counties and although the houses would be dedicated initially to essential employees, by the late fall, any unsold houses would go on the open market.  The estimated $8 million construction loan is being federally funded by the American Recovery Act, instituted to offset economic losses due to the Covid pandemic.

Granada received some welcome news as additional funding for their municipal water infrastructure project has been approved.  The trustees began discussions on the upgrades as far back as 2016, but work on the project was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as earlier efforts to secure grant funding, estimated then at $800,000.  David Frisch and Dannah Koeniger from GMS provided an update during the July 14^th meeting.  Koeniger said she has been able to find four specific grants to pay for a major portion of the project with the now estimated cost at $1,320,000.  An earlier report outlined the project in 2016.

‘The funding will pay for new water main projects, one south of Hwy 50 between Amache and Broderick Streets and another north of Hwy 50 between Half and Oak Streets.  Other improvements, as outlined in the GMS proposal include replacement of fire hydrants, valves and water service connections in portions of the town.  Also included in the project are improvements to the booster pump station, a well pump installation, pump house and vault improvements, a new 219,000-gallon ground level welded steel storage tank, reroofing the raw water storage tank and painting the exterior of the elevated water storage tank.

Granada qualifies for particular grants based in part on the average low income of the community and lower valuation of the houses in the town compared to the rest of the state.  Granada has approximately 230 water use customers.  The last water improvements were in 1980 and 2000.’

Granada Police Chief, David Dougherty, reported issuing 15 warnings for June, 2021 with 14 citations and total fines for the month were $2,144.05 with year to date revenues included fines and surcharges at $16,641.30.  There were two violations of lack of building permits, eight for weeds and debris on properties, two for junk vehicles and three for deteriorating mobile homes and buildings.

By Russ Baldwin