The Harlan City Council heard several updates on different projects during their meeting Tuesday. The first update was from John McCurdy from SWIPCO on the Harlan housing rehabilitation project. The city received grant funding of $373,000 with the city funding $25,000.  McCurdy told the council 5 houses have already been completed through the process and another five are continuing the study. He also gave an update on the SWIPCO housing study. The purpose of the study was to find out where the additional need was in the city of Harlan for certain types of housing mainly rental properties. McCurdy said he was surprised by the vacancy rate in the city.

“Generally in a community, a five percent vacancy rate is healthy because it shows you have some homes available. The vacancy rate is not necessarily a home that is inhabitable. It is a vacant home available for sale. In yours in 2010 was 1.1 percent which shows an incredible need. If you had 5 to 6 percent vacancy rate I would still say there is an incredible need.”

McCurdy said SWIPCO will be in Harlan today (Wednesday) to conduct the housing study so if residents see a SWIPCO vehicle in town staring at a house, they are accessing the properties. The new housing study figures will come to the Harlan city council sometime in the spring.

In other business, City Administrator Terry Cox reported to the council on a change order from Leinen Construction for the Harlan Police Department construction project. The city approved the change order on structural work on the basement and other items for $32,972.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)