SEQUIM — Only a handful of owners have come forward to participate in a program to provide renovations for eligible residential properties in downtown Sequim.
Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County has selected the city as a Neighborhood Revitalization focus location and has allocated $5,000 from private donations and fundraising efforts for the Sequim project.
In addition to the funding provided by Habitat, Sequim Sunrise Rotary has approved a $3,500 grant, which the Rotary Foundation district community grant will match to total $12,000 for neighborhood revitalization in Sequim.
Typical Habitat Neighborhood Revitalization projects include weatherization, critical repair and rehabilitation of residential properties.
About 380 residents in the targeted neighborhoods in downtown Sequim — stretching north from Pine Street to Fir Street and east from Fifth Avenue to Brown Road — received mailed invitations to participate in the program and attend a town hall meeting to learn more Wednesday at the Civic Center, according to city staff.
About three attended the meeting. Seventeen others were city officials, Habitat for Humanity representatives and Rotary members.
“Even though we don’t have 200 or 300 people here tonight, we will get the word out some more,” Cyndi J. Hueth, Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County executive director, said during the meeting.
The next step in the program is to identify property owners who are interested, who qualify and who could help in making repairs.
Improvements could include painting exterior walls, cleaning up landscaping, sealing homes for winter by fixing windows and old doors, repairing roofs, erecting or mending fencing and electrical work.
Volunteer surveyors will identify possible participants by walking the neighborhoods from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 19.
Survey assessments then will be reviewed by the city of Sequim and Habitat, with a selection process slated for early 2016.
“It takes a couple of months to determine the actual applicants,” Hueth said.
“I would say that probably after the New Year, we would start work on this project because we have to have it done by May.”
During their Sept. 19 fact-finding mission, surveyors will contact only those residents who have expressed a desire to participate, Hueth said.
However, they also will note properties that could use some attention as seen from the street even if owners have not yet contacted project organizers.
“We are not going to send surveyors out and go knock on doors” of homes that have not signed up yet, Hueth said.
“We don’t want to step on anybody’s property” without permission.
Project organizers will be working hard between now and Sept. 19 to get the word out to more people, she added.
“Those that are interested and feel they need work,” should come forward, as should residents who “know somebody that needs some assistance from this program,” Hueth said.
“Tell us what you need. This is about community development. How can we help you improve your neighborhood, not just your house?”
Hueth said more folks may come forward once they see other homes being fixed up.
“I can imagine — no guarantees — but with the buzz that is going to happen when we select the first few families to help out here in Sequim,” more might be inclined to participate, Hueth said.
The homes chosen for work will be based on need, she said.
Eligible residents must own their homes.
“We are committing a total of $12,000 for this first launch program here in Sequim,” she said.
“Now, is that going to be one house, and it is a critical repair? We don’t know yet.”
Organizers “are going to see who has the greatest need when we go out and do the surveys [and] when we get applications in,” she continued.
“We will make the decision on how that works and where that funding goes. Maybe there are three homes that could use an exterior paint job and we could serve three people. We just don’t know that information yet.”
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
