By approving $1 million in housing initiative grant funds, the Lycoming County commissioners are taking steps to address the shortage of affordable housing in the county by utilizing the money for infrastructure for a 120-unit development in the Hughesville-Wolf Township area.

Townhomes, single family and duplex units will be included in the project. The agreement approved at Thursday’s meeting was with ILK Family, LP.

“We’re excited about this project,” said Commissioner Scott Metzger.

“We allocated $2 million, $2 million this year going forward for the housing initiative program. This came out of the ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) meetings that we had. Speaking to developers and the realtors that there was a housing shortage in the area,” Metzger said.

The developers, during those conversations, had told the commissioners that due to the cost of goods and the infrastructure, “it was hard to make a profit going forward and basically construction was stalled,” he said.

“If the infrastructure can get to the curb, they can get the houses done. And that’s what we’re doing here,” Metzger said.

The homes will be built in the East Lycoming area which is considered a growth corridor.

“At the same time it will increase the tax base for the county,” he added.

The board approved a Letter of Intent with Chance Aluminum, which had been discussed at last week’s meeting, for the proposed land purchase at Timber Run Industrial Park. Chance is looking at expanding their operations in the area with a second plant in that location.

Other items approved by the commissioners included: an agreement with Hickman Consulting Services, LLC; a Memorandum of Understanding with the Lycoming County Detective bargaining unit for a correction to pay rates; the Riverwalk extension project and all related documents; an amendment to a subrecipient agreement with the city for the Park Avenue neighborhood rental rehabilitation program and an amendment to an agreement with the city for the Williamsport historic rehabilitation program, both extending the time of the agreement to the end of December.

Four items pertaining to construction at the Third Street Plaza were approved, including an agreement with Port Elevators, Inc. for $631,795 to retrofit the elevators in the building; an agreement with Monitronics International LLC for $12,000 regarding building access systems on the third floor; an amendment to with Air Management Technologies, Inc. in the amount of $125,600 for a date change only; and a change order with J&M Construction Specialty, Inc. for $3,335, pertaining to the financial merger where a door will be need to be moved and a window closed in.

Ken George, director of the county’s Facilities Management Department, said that progress on the third floor of Third Street plaza, which will house the Commissioners’ offices moving ahead and is expected to be ready by the end of next month .

“I would say 95 percent of the carpet is done, ceilings are going in, lighting probably 80 percent; almost all the door frames are in except for one that has not come in yet. Doing the finishing touches. Window sills will be going in I think next week or the week or the week after,” George explained.

“We don’t see any reason why we should not have a finished date of the end of April. We can start moving furniture in and get our teams over there,” he added.

Under personnel, the commissioners approved the following full-time replacements at the rates of pay listed: Jessica Ivankina, telecommunicator II in Public Safety, $21.26 per hour; Cody Englehart, clerk III, $15.88 per hour in the Public Defender’s office; and Alicia Tice, correctional officer I at the prison at $20 per hour.

The next commissioners’ meeting will be at 10 a.m., April 4 at the Commissioners’ Board Room, 1st floor, Executive Plaza, 330 Pine St.