The county now has $100,000 in freed-up funding from Community Development Block Grants now that a senior citizen housing project has failed to get its funding to go-ahead at the present time.

“We were just below the line,” Ralph Kline of the Ironton-Lawrence County Community Action Organization, said.

The CAO was seeking federal housing credits for the $8 million project.

“They only funded two,” Kline said.

Plans are to build a complex with 40 to 50 units in what developers are calling affordable senior housing. It is to be in partnership with Pirhl Developers from Cleveland and the CAO and to be located across from the Fairland East Elementary School.

However, since tax credits were not available at this time, that means the $100,000 commitment from the commission to extend the sewer line at the housing site will go toward other county projects. Vying for that money are at least two projects — road paving by the county engineer’s office and the Fayette Township Trustees efforts to bring water lines to the residents of Macedonia Road hill.

Developers plan to apply again for the housing credits and a Federal Home Loan.

“I think the way the project was viewed and rated we should be in a pretty good position to reapply for tax credits and do groundwork for federal home loan,” Kline said.

At its Thursday meeting the commission also approved applying for $900,000 in booster CDBG grants to fund street improvements in the city of Ironton, paving in Decatur Township and street improvements and blighted housing removal in Chesapeake from Symmes Creek Bridge to Bradrick.

In other action the commission:

• Requested that the Tri-State Airport Authority accept the county as a voting member of the Huntington-based authority;

• Filed correspondence from the county engineer denying the establishment of Private Drive 123 as a township road as it does not meet minimum requirements;

• Approved an additional change order for building a roadway in The Point industrial park for $8,610.