Plans to build a new senior community center and turn the current one into affordable housing have been put on hold. Officials said the City received no bids from contractors willing to invest in the project, plus the COVID-19 pandemic made programs a higher priority.
Those who work with the City of Owensboro and the Senior Community Center of Owensboro-Daviess County have expressed interest in revamping the facility for some time. Located at 1650 W. Second St., the facility provides services, support and programs for individuals age 60 and older.
As part of the upcoming northwest revitalization project slated to start in July, City officials have been hoping to build a new community center near the current location. Meanwhile, the current building could be converted into affordable housing for seniors.
When the City didn’t receive any responses from contractors willing to take on the project, Community Development Director Abby Shelton said she reached out to several of those companies to understand why they held their bids back.
Shelton discovered there’d been a lot of moving pieces, including funding, that turned contracting companies away. Several wanted to see a housing tax credit associated with the project.
“It’s still fluid,” Shelton said. “Pamela Fox and I will sit down and see what steps we need to take. We will probably want to revamp the (Request for Proposal).”
A point system is also taken into account with low-income housing projects, Shelton said. The community center’s location received a low census count, deducting points from the project itself.
That means Shelton’s department will probably look at other locations for the new location. However, as Shelton continues to work on programs of higher priority right now — namely, the City’s COVID-19 Rental Assistance Program — a new RFP won’t be developed right away.
“We knew it was going to be a fluid process, and with the coronavirus, other priorities have come ahead of it,” Shelton said. “When we look at developing a new RFP, we’ll be asking, ‘How do we make it more attractive to developers?’”
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