ELYRIA, Ohio — Lorain County Commissioners last week approved more than $770,000 in federal housing rehabilitation contracts, but the votes came with pointed warnings about a shortage of contractors bidding on the work.

At their Aug. 15 meeting, commissioners approved 16 projects through the Community Housing Impact and Preservation (CHIP) and Lead-Safe Ohio (LSO) programs. Individual contracts ranged from roughly $10,000 to over $80,000 and included repairs such as window and door replacements, siding and porch upgrades, HVAC system installation, electrical rewiring, plumbing work and lead hazard removal.

While the board stressed the importance of these projects for maintaining local housing stock and assisting low- to moderate-income homeowners, Commissioner Marty Gallagher expressed f

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