Commonwealth Regional Council’s (CRC) Community Development Planner Todd Fortune said during a CRC meeting April 18 that the Town of Dillwyn is that much closer to beginning its housing rehabilitation project.

He noted that a contract from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and the Town of Dillwyn has been signed.

“The contract has been signed by both the town and DHCD, so they’re under contract for the project,” Fortune said during the CRC meeting.

Dillwyn was announced as one of 15 localities in Virginia receiving grants, according to a news release from Gov. Terry McAuliffe on Sept. 15, 2017.

The Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) aid localities in Virginia to complete projects improving health care access, water and sewer infrastructure, downtown revitalization, public safety and housing rehabilitation, according to the news release.

Fortune said in a previous Herald report that the project would rehabilitate six homes on the project site, which includes Culbreth Street and parts of White, Carter, Hancock and Conner streets.

One house, Fortune said, will be torn down and rebuilt — a process called a “substantial reconstruct.” He said the house’s owner has had to live elsewhere as the home became uninhabitable.

Fortune previously cited that the DHCD has approved a change in the CDBG allocation for this project, per revised budget figures sent to DHCD. The grant award amount is now $445,400, an increase from the previous amount of $176,300.

He said the next step would be for the project’s management team and the project’s housing rehabilitation board to meet to review the project schedule and set a community meeting to move forward with the project.

“We’re actually ready to go, as soon as we get our contract, we’re going to have a management team meeting and get this project started,” Fortune said.

Dillwyn Town Mayor Linda Venable Paige confirmed that the contract for administrative assistance with the CRC was passed during a called town council meeting on April 17.

She noted that the project management team will meet Wednesday, 3 p.m. at Ellis Acres.