Wheatland council has chosen Mourice Waltz Planners and Consultants, Sharpsville, to run a housing rehabilitation program.

Council members David Cusick, Dick Campman, Robert Davis and George Keryan said they favored Waltz, while Donald Stinedurf and Lorraine Jones supported Graney, Grossman, Ray, Colosimo and Associates, Grove City.

Councilwoman Nita Buczo was absent.

Waltz will set program guidelines and procedures, inspect homes proposed for work, make work write-ups and cost estimates, set up contractor bidding, perform final inspections and approve payment.

The program is funded by a $250,000 Community Development Block Grant.

Council members heard presentations from both companies Wednesday and the cumulative opinion seemed to be the companies were close when considering factors such as previous experience and how they would run the program.

Cost was a big factor in the decision.

While Terry Ray of Graney, Grossman, Ray, Colosimo and Associates said he would be flexible in the proposed costs to run the program, his company still was more expensive that Waltz.

Graney, Grossman, Ray, Colosimo and Associates said they could run the program for $1,370 a house, with one-time start-up costs of $7,990.

Waltz said it could do the job more cheaply at a cost of $1,000 a house and one-time costs of $3,150.

"I don't see how that first one (Ray) will come down that much," Cusick said.

Waltz said he created his company in 1986 and has been doing housing rehabs in Sharpsville for most of that time. The firm's housing rehab program, which is run by his wife, Jane, works mostly in Mercer and Lawrence counties, and has worked with Hermitage and West Middlesex.

Mrs. Waltz said she likes to tailor the program to homeowners.

"I think it's important that the homeowner feel comfortable," she said.

When she said that she does not force a homeowner to take the lowest contractor quote, Stinedurf protested.

"We always take the lowest bid here," he said.

Mrs. Waltz said if a homeowner is not comfortable with a contractor before any work is done, he or she won't be comfortable with the completed job.

"Sometimes personalities just don't meet," she said.

Waltz added if the two quotes are far apart, he could rebid them.

Mrs. Waltz said she conducts as much of her administrative work as she can at the home, and visits weekly during construction.

"We don't schedule our inspections," Waltz said. "We try to get there before they know we're coming."

One of Mrs. Waltz's first concerns when inspecting a house that could be possibly rehabed is the electrical service. She said she likes to upgrade the service so that the wiring can handle computers.

"Everybody has one and, if they don't, they will soon," she said.

Chris Conti, senior planner for Mercer County Regional Planing Commission, said the commission will draw up a contract and council could have a copy by its next meeting.

The commission is administering the grant and will get $15,000 of it for its effort.

Under the program, homeowners who meet low- and moderate-income guidelines and are current on taxes and utilities will be eligible for deferred loans for such code-related repairs and replacements as windows, furnaces, electrical wiring and plumbing.

jpinchot@sharon-herald.com