NORWICH – After demolishing three dilapidated houses last summer, the City of Norwich may soon begin work on the second phase of the Restore New York Grant program, as they go out to bid for the construction of three new homes.

In January of 2008, the city received $300,000 as part of the Restore New York Grant program. The grant money allowed the city to demolish three city-owned houses in Norwich and provided funds for the construction of new homes on the original sites. Last summer, condemned and badly damaged homes located at 52 Fair St., 23 Grove Ave. and a trailer located at 7 Waite St. were demolished.

The second phase of the project, the construction of the new homes, is expected to begin this summer, and on Tuesday night, Community and Economic Development Specialist Todd Dreyer told the Finance / Personnel Committee that work toward that goal is underway.

Requests for bids will be mailed out by the end of the week, and ads will be placed in local papers by Thursday, Dreyer said. The city plans to open the bids in mid-March. “We want building to occur during the 2009 construction season,” Dreyer said. A time frame for construction cannot be determined until bids come in, as Dreyer expects to receive bids for both modular and stick built homes.