Housing Authority Minutes

MINUTES
Willington Housing Authority
Monday, July 17, 2017 – 6 p.m.
20 Senior Way – Senior Center
Willington, CT

Present: Vice Chairman Wilbur Gangaway, Secretary Don Berg, Treasurer Claudia D'Agata, Member Laurel Millix, Housing Consultant David Berto, ACCESS management representative Alex Fuentes.  Public: Betty Robertson and Jeannie Arpin. Absent: Chairman Robert Campbell.

1. Call to order –   6 p.m.

2. Present to speak – opportunity for members of the public to speak.

Members of the public asked if there is a firm date by which tenants will be able to move in. B. Robertson said she has to move out of her current apartment by July 31.

D. Berg said there are several items that are taking longer than anticipated, such as a platform for the electrical panels and a new path connecting with the existing path to the recreational area.

D. Berto said the remaining work should be completed by July 28, which would mean tenants could move in that weekend.

3.  Old Business – Button Hill Senior Housing

W. Gangaway said there was an issue with sketches being submitted for the concrete platform. D. Berto said a draft sketch had been emailed.  D. Berg said he submitted comments and that the engineering consultant had to review the sketches, as well.

D. Berg said sketches of the connecting path also had been circulated as of today, and that these issues would likely be addressed at the next job meeting this week.

There was discussion about the cost to construct the bocce court and the gates in the fence surrounding the dumpsters. D. Berg said the cost would be about $4,000 but the bonding amount would be $2,500 for the court and $500 for the dumpster enclosure “person-doors.”  D. Berg and W. Gangaway said they would meet this week to discuss writing a check for the cash bond.

D. Berg said the building inspector wants a poured concrete, 6-by-5-foot ramp and a 5-by-5-foot platform at the head of the stone dust pathway to the recreational area.

D. Berto reviewed some of the items that need to be completed before a Certificate of Occupancy can be issued.  One of these items is the punch list, after which the Housing Authority would need to do a re-inspection.  D. Berg said Brian (of Zlotnick Construction)  is working on the punch list.

D. Berto said the concrete meter pad also has to be priced and built.

W. Gangaway said he was told the contractor's evaluation of flaws in the paint doesn't concur with the Housing Authority's, that they are saying flaws that aren't visible from four feet away don't need to be corrected.  D. Berg said they may actually address some of the flaws pointed out by the Housing Authority.

W. Gangaway also said he'd seen an email stating there is an issue with the paint around the windows, that the wood is bleeding through the paint.  He said he couldn't remember who sent the email.

D. Berto said the contractor still needs to price and construct the walking path.  He also asked if issues about tree placement have been resolved.  D. Berg said this needs to be reviewed by Mark Peterson.

D. Berto asked if the Town is OK with the bocce court plans. D. Berg said yes, and that the Town's Public Works Department will box out the court and add the first layer of stone. D. Berg is in charge of bocce court details and bonding.

D. Berg noted that a number of issues originating with Zlotnick Construction have put the project well behind schedule.

Responding to a question from D. Berto, D. Berg said there will be 8 phone lines installed for the fire alarm system, which includes four backup lines. He said the fire alarm system was tested at 1 p.m. today.

D. Berto asked if this means the Housing Authority will receive 8 bills.  D. Berg said, yes.

There was discussion about renting the units.

A. Fuentes asked if there is a unit that can be shown to potential tenants. He also asked if it's possible to get inside to take some photographs. He said his office wasn't able to arrange this with someone from Zlotnick Construction.  D. Berg said he or Charlie Green might be able to make these arrangements but, to date, he doesn't have a key.

A. Fuentes asked if a member of the Housing Authority would sign the dumpster contract. D. Berg said to send it to him.

D. Berto asked if all the units have been rented.  A. Fuentes said 12 tenants were scheduled to move in, but three dropped out – one because of the delay (that tenant found housing elsewhere) and two who decided to move into Willington Woods.  He said there are a number of outstanding applications where the individuals have not responded to phone calls or have dropped out because they thought that rents would be subsidized.

There was discussion about further marketing.  It was agreed that ACCESS will update the advertising inserts to say that Button Hill Senior Housing is now open, and about 1,000 will be put into papers in Vernon/Tolland area publications once the units are in fact open for occupancy.

D. Berg gave A. Fuentes the phone number for a reporter from the Chronicle who wants to do an updated story on the project.

A. Fuentes suggested putting information about Button Hill on Facebook, and noted that ACCESS has an online listing of its senior housing on the Connecticut Department of Housing website.

L. Millix suggested posting the flier on the Town's website. She also suggested placing information in senior center newsletters in surrounding towns.  C. D'Agata said she will follow through with having information published in Willington's senior center newsletter.

There was discussion about electric bills for Button Hill apartments.  D. Berg asked if there is a way to stipulate a limit to the amount the Housing Authority will cover.  D. Berto said that wouldn't be legal because electricity is included in the rent, but that the Housing Authority could adjust rents if necessary, to cover increased electricity costs.

W. Gangaway said the tenant handbook needs to state specifically that such things as freezers and heating units are not allowed, since these significantly affect electricity costs. D. Berg asked that ACCESS send a revised draft of the tenant handbook to Housing Authority members.

There was discussion about the style of bulletin boards for posting of management notices, and location of a mailbox for management.

W. Gangaway asked who is responsible for updating the street sign to Senior Way.  D. Berg said he will talk with the First Selectman about this, since it is the Town's responsibility.

D. Berg also said there will be at least a three-month delay in changing the mailing address from Old Farms Road to Senior Way, having to do with the assessor and issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy.

A. Fuentes said that he recently spoke with the person who will be doing the snowplowing at Button Hill and that this person has concerns about where to pile snow.

A. Fuentes left the meeting.

There was discussion about the address Eversource has been using for sending electric bills, and Eversource combining bills for Button Hill and Willington Woods.  There should only be 28 accounts for Button Hill – 24 for the units and 4 for the Housing Authority.  C. D'Agata said she recently paid bills dated May 18.

D. Berg also noted that Eversource had DeMarco for its contact and that this needs to be corrected. He said he added his own number as a contact person.

There was discussion about the Putnam Bank Loan.

D. Berto said the construction loan with Putnam Bank will convert to a permanent loan, at which time payments will include principal and interest.  However, because interest on the permanent loan is less than the construction loan, even with the mortgage payment, the cost will be about the same.  He also said that by the end of the month, Putnam Bank will transfer the remaining amount of the loan, about $200,000, into the Housing Authority account, so that the whole amount of the construction loan is treated as having been drawn down.

D. Berto said that after tenants have moved in, funds will be transferred to ACCESS and all costs will be operating costs, although there will likely be a transition period when some construction costs will still be coming in.

C. D'Agata said she'd received a General Liability and Crime policy renewal bill.  D. Berto said to forward it to Lynn Skeet.

There was discussion about topsoil tests.

D. Berg said topsoil testing is listed in the specifications and needs to be done to determine suitability for seeding.  He read additional criteria from the specifications. He said he will bring this up at the next job meeting.

D. Berto left the meeting.

4. New Business –  D. Berg said the Housing Authority needs to pay a $1,000 alarm-monitoring bill.  This is paid out of operating funds, payable to Mutual Aid.

5. Correspondence – None.

6. Approval of minutes – Approval of the June 12 minutes was tabled until the August meeting.

7. Treasurer’s report – C. D'Agata reported a balance of  $1,600.27, with the only expenditure being secretarial services of $69.97 for June.

8. Adjourn – The meeting adjourned at 7:05 p.m.

Respectfully submitted by Recording Secretary Brenda Sullivan.  Please note that minutes are posted prior to being officially approved – changes/corrections are normally indicated in the subsequent month’s meeting minutes