Grant money from the Cook County Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program may be available in two years to raze the village-owned 512 Desplaines Ave. building, a representative from village engineers, Christopher Burke Engineering Ltd., told village commissioners on Nov. 26. CDBG funds may also be used to replace sewer and water mains in the 400 block of Ferdinand, said Commissioner Rory Hoskins.
The village received $192,000 in federal funds last February from HUD by way of Cook County. This year’s grant money was earmarked for alley improvements in the 7400 block of Warren. But the village is prioritizing next year’s CDBG funds to pay for the demolition of the 512 Desplaines building, which has been vacant and uninhabitable since it was damaged in an arson fire in 2010. Past estimates to demolish the building have ranged between $20-40,000, Village Administrator Tim Gillian said last week.
