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$160,000 In Grant Funds To Replace 55-Year Old Century Mobile Home
February 28, 2019
A contract has been awarded for what will likely be the most expensive grant-funding housing replacement in the history of Century.
For many years, the town has participated in grant programs to rehabilitate or replace substandard housing for needy Century residents. The construction projects are done at little or no direct cost to the town.
The council recently awarded a $160,000 contract to low bidder Parker Customer Built Home to replace a 55-year old mobile home at 581 Church Street with a site-built home. The project will be funded with a Community Development Block Grant, which will not allow another mobile home as a replacement.
Mayor Henry Hawkins recently told the town council that he did not believe this much grant money had ever been spent to replace a house in Century.
Consultant Robin Phillips said the higher amount is due to rising construction costs following Hurricane Michael.
According to property records, the mobile home and property belong to Mark Ward, Janet Ward and Stephanie Miller with a mailing address in Orange Park, FL. There is a homestead exemption in place for a local resident.
The new home will have two bedrooms and two bathrooms and will be handicap accessible.
NorthEscambia.com photo.
Comments
43 Responses to “$160,000 In Grant Funds To Replace 55-Year Old Century Mobile Home”
Who cares what year this ramshackle trailer is? The point is that this apparently vacant trailer that is owned by somebody that lives out of town (and is breaking the law by filing homestead exemption on it) is being replaced by a new house at taxpayers expense. The Community Development Block Grant Program is designed to help resident property owners replace dilapidated houses and improve the community. This one should go on the list of things being investigated by the grand jury. Maybe these absent property owners could be the ones that the mystery plane tickets were bought for.
Ok a grant to build a house on private property. Does this mean the property owners can sell it and get 100 percent profit
The last go round of free house giveaway I remember.Shortly afterwards my insurance was cancelled on my old house.
Another waste of tax payers dollars. This at one time was a rental property. Did the owners not have insurance? I have insurance to protect my belongings and apparently I pay taxes to protect other peoples property. It time for the contributing Deplorables to rise up and demand this kind of waste is stopped.
@Slyvia Godwin , I’m letting people know that county documents are wrong and that the trailer is not a 1964, and agreeing with you it’s a 1983 the vin number will show what year it is, maybe even built in 1982 but sold in 1983 but it’s not a 1964.
I bet people that settled for Habitat Homes with they went for a CDBG instead! My only issue is a local property owner does not live there!! Im fed up having to follow the dang rules while others take advantage!! period
To Stumpknocker: Not sure where you fit in this situation but my sister bought this trailer brand new in 1983. It was first in my moms back yard and then moved to church street where she lived in it until she sold it.
So much wrong with this. Total abuse of a well intended program. For one, the owners don’t even live there. It’s a rental property. Are you kidding?
There is something odd, irregular about this arrangement. I just cannot put my finger on it at present?
Somebody needs to shake the family tree in this one, and see who falls out.
Go to the rear of the trailer there’s a VIN # vehicle identification number or look in side the cabinets above the stove or sink or under the side you will see it’s not a 1964, go take a look, those numbers don’t lie.
It says owner’s aren’t from here but orange park, fl but so called resident of this mobile home has a homestead filed on it…i might be wrong but I thought only home owner could get homesteaded & only on 1 property they live in….whats missing here?
1. CDBG projects are done at little or no cost to the Town of Century.
2. The CDBG does not allow for another mobile home to replace the original. (and have you priced them lately?)
3. Construction materials and labor costs have skyrocketed following H. Michael. Same happened in this area following H. Ivan.
4. The property is located within the Century Historical District. That in itself causes construction costs to rise.
5. ADA guidelines are strict and handicap accessible modifications are expensive.
6. The contractor who had the LOWEST bid got the contract. Good thing he has an excellent reputation.
7. The property lies within the Community Redevelopment Area. Redevelopment. Improvement.
8. I can’t address property ownership questions as I don’t have the information. However, the property/owners must qualify for the CDBG and I feel confident that the managers and approvers of the application know what they are doing.
9. None of this is my opinion. All stated in the above article. Be informed. Read. Research before passing judgement.
So my question is for the critics. How is redevelopment/improvement of a blighted area a bad thing? And what are you doing to make things better?
If you want a old place to rebuild I have a house that was built in the 1940’s
I am the sister of the women that bought this mobile home in 1983 brand new from Harold Allen. Her name was Faye Coker, her husband past away and she could not live in their home any more. So she bought this mobile home and had it in our mother’s yard for a while, then she bought the lot where it is setting now from Doctor Griffin the eye Doctor and move it there.She sold the mobile home to a McNeal I believe, the brother or sister-in-law of Mary Nan Jones so she would have a place to live. Latter on she bought a house on Front Street and then she moved to Pensacola.She left it to the First Baptist Church of Century across the street. I know the church sold it but I don’t no who bought it. I know this doesn’t matter to any one but just letting you know what I know. So the official county property records, saying the trailer is a 1964 model is wrong.
U have really got to be kidding me…this is why im ashamed to tell people my address century fla. I dont live in century i live in bratt but really people come on.i only come to century cause i love century pharm thats all…dumb move this time for sure use the money elsewhere
I don’t care where this is located, it’s old and has no one living in it. Century can’t pay their bills, but they can apply and get grants for restoring an old mobile home. Wake up Century Officials.
This is totally stupid.
Total ridiculousness
>>>That trailer is NOT fifty five years old not sure where that came from
According to the official county property record, the trailer is a 1964 model.
That trailer is NOT fifty five years old not sure where that came from. The trailer was bought brand new in 1983. It is a shame some of the older people around this neighbor hood can’t get any help. I am talking about people who have been here sixty five years. These people in the trailer hasn’t even been here ten years. This is a sad thing going on in this town.
I wonder when the last time this was actually lived in and is there homestead exception filed on it. Anyone else that had this on their property would have already received many visits from code enforcement and been given fines and if not paid the county puts a lien on it and will eventually seize it. The city should offer to hold a town hall meeting to address these type of questions which I believe would help build back some trust and stop any rumors.
Why not help the family that lives in the 140 old house that someone ran there car into off Old Flomaton Rd this is crazy
Now we understand why house sales are down. How many grants can we get? I’d never pay $160,000 for a $60,000 house. These tiny homes are also selling in downtown Pensacola. The American Dream is dead, why be in debt your entire life.
Love the way another mobile home cannot go there. They are intentionally killing zoning for mobile homes too. Sick world.
Good thing they got Mr. Parker. He is an honest hard working man.
$ 100 an hour for a BullDozer,
The comments are just incredible! Do ANY of you have a clue how much it costs for the disabled to live? Being handicap is exspensive! This grant is a good thing! How negative you people are! I pray none of you end up needing help…
WOW! Century just gets more and more crooked! Why are the Feds not investigating this entire town and its so-called “leaders” They are all openly crooked and nobody is ever held responsible!
In a socialistic society don’t expect the redistribution of wealth to be fair, equitable, and reasonable.
That mobile home belong to Mary Nan Jones until she died. She had no children only a niece who lived somewhere down south. Not sure what happened to ownership after that.
This is sad. There are people who.need a home that live in it. But grants for someone who has home elsewhere. Yeah, let’s don’t give it to someone who needs it… makes a lot.of sense to.me of they can have.two properties they can fix this themselves, they just do not care about the property. So yes let’s.give them new
There is some fishy stuff going on in century florida. So the people dont even live there, but they are gonna get a brand new house. I would like to receive this grant to pay for the house that I built. As citizens we need more details. I had to work for my house and everything that I have.
wow, 160g oughta build a fairly nice house! wish we all could get a deal like that! can’t beat a free, brand-new house!
How are the Ward’s related or connected to town officials?
Something smells fishy. They should make the owner pay fro the demolition.
There’s a lot missing from this story. Is this the town’s money (that they don’t have)? Do people even live there? That address is in Jacksonville. Is this a 2nd home? Is century giving people money that they don’t have so these people can rebuild their abandoned property and then turn around and sell it? This smells like the massive dead rat that’s probably lying in the walls of that trailer.
Grant money or not these are tax dollars being spent to rebuild a private citizen’s house. Can someone please explain to me why?
Wow ! that is crazy G I have a house that’s totally falling apart and I live in it and I don’t know how to fix it is there any help for me can I get a grant I’m in Pensacola and I’m needy low income a house built in the 1940s I just think it’s a little bit obsessive with that amount and also the people don’t even live in town why are they doing that just curious if it doesn’t make a lot of sense but I would take it too if they would help me out so but I do live in my house and for ever as far as I know and I need lots of things done to my house and don’t have the funds to do it so is there somebody Ican call !
So, a program meant for struggling residents is being used to subsidize property owners that don’t even live locally, much less ON the property!?! Will the county get the rental revenue to repay the money, or will it just go into the pocket of the landlords? Someone is getting a cut of that money… I’d like to know who.
..Seems like Century and their town council are in the news almost daily…always some kind of scandal , lost legal papers , funds mis-allocated , sunshine law violations and now this..$160,000 to replace a 50 year old trailer..Folks , this is the best yet..surely, they can review this action..
I looked at SS Steele’s website and they can build a new 3/1 brick house for $77k. I’m sorry but spending $160k on the taxpayer’s dime just so it can look “historic” is ridiculous, especially when it likely won’t be maintained anyways.
http://www.steelehomes.cc/florida%20models.htm
This is one way to raise the property values (taxes) in the area. Do not get me wrong, I am happy that someone will have a safe handicap home. It will also be nice to look at. I just do not think a two bedroom home in that area should be $160000. Even with the increase in building costs, $130000 sounds about right… but my number was pulled from the sky. Are the building costs public record? I am interested in knowing breakdown if it is.
http://www.northescambia.com/2018/04/century-historical-board-approves-replacement-of-tornado-damaged-mobile-home
It is in the historic district across from the restored Methodist Church and in the CRA.
So, if I’m reading this right, a 55 year old mobile home will cost $160,000 to replace? You can buy a new mobile home for a lot less than that. Especially when it appears they don’t even live there. That sounds a little messed up!