Housing Authority Minutes

MINUTES
Willington Housing Authority
Monday, September 11, 2017 – 6 p.m.
20 Senior Way – Senior Center
Willington, CT

Present: Chairman Robert Campbell, Vice Chairman Wilbur Gangaway, Secretary Don Berg, Treasurer Claudia D'Agata, Housing Consultant David Berto, ACCESS management representatives Melanie Savage and Alex Fuentes, and Recording Secretary Brenda Sullivan. Absent: Member Laurel Millix.

1. Call to order –   6:10 p.m.

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

No members of the public present.

3.  Old Business – Button Hill Senior Housing

There was discussion about taxes and the mortgage for Button Hill Senior Housing.  

D. Berto said the Town's Grand List is compiled as of October 1 and this is when the Button Hill project will be added. And so, Button Hill's first tax bill will be on July 1, 2018 and it will be based on half of the year.

D. Berto said Putnam Bank, which holds the project's mortgage, will ask for funds to be held in escrow to cover monthly property taxes. He said he hopes to reach an agreement with the bank to not pay into the escrow account for two months, because Button Hill will not be on the current Grand List.  

A. Fuentes said the last mortgage payment was $7,900 (which included interest).

D. Berto said taxes will likely be approximately $550 a month.

There was discussion about the punch list for the project.

D. Berto said completing the punch list is required for accurate tracking and for retainage release. He said the project owner now “owns” and maintains this list and is responsible for keeping Zlotnick Construction informed about what needs to be done.  He said it's important to document what still needs to be done and when those items have been completed.

There was discussion about closing out the project.

D. Berto said Zlotnick Construction's contract currently has three requisitions that haven't been processed/paid.  He said retainage is 5 percent (2.5 percent at $60,000 and another 2.5 percent at $60,000), and there is also about $60,000 remaining to be paid for completion of project work.  D. Berto said the requisitions can be processed and paid once errors he found are corrected, including a $24,000 overcharge. Some funds are currently not available because the actual cost of change orders ($236,000) has exceeded what was budgeted for change orders ($200,000).

He said the project's developer's fee can be used to pay for extra costs. However, Putnam Bank requires $107,000 of the developer's fee to be held until Button Hill is fully rented. He said he will work with the bank to release some of the money to pay principal and interest on the loan, which will free up funds that can now be used for construction and management bills.

And in the meantime, he said, Zlotnick Construction needs to follow the close-out procedure so that the Housing Authority can process the second retainage request in anticipation of the release of Department of Housing funds.

D. Berto also noted there are energy rebate funds available, but he has learned that Zlotnick Construction is not energy certified by Eversource, so the Housing Authority cannot collect these rebates until Zlotnick Construction seeks certification.

There was discussion about paying Brandon Clarke of Clarke Architects, who served as the Department of Housing inspector.  D. Berto said that money is currently being held by the Department of Housing.

There was discussion about marketing Button Hill Senior Housing.

A. Fuentes said ACCESS is hosting an open house for interested tenants from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on two Saturdays, Sept. 16 and Sept. 23.  He said ACCESS has to be judicious about what it spends on marketing.  R. Campbell suggested distributing fliers at local senior centers and reaching out to the social services departments in surrounding towns. He also suggested checking the Willington voter list to send fliers to senior citizens.  D. Berto noted there may be residents who aren't seniors who have family members who might want to move to Willington.

R. Campbell suggested asking churches to include Button Hill information in their newsletters.

A. Fuentes said he will place signs around town about the open house dates.

Other publicity ideas included distributing fliers at the Third Thursday street fest in Willimantic, at farmers markets and at the Sept. 16 senior breakfast.

There was discussion about solar panels.

D. Berg said the State Fire Marshal has OK'd modifications that will allow for more solar panels, but he is still waiting for documentation.

Regarding the remaining amount due to Earthlight for the panels (for apartments 16 a, b and c), the original contract was for $24,120 and the Housing Authority paid a $4,000 deposit, so there is about $20,000 still due.

D. Berg said Eversource told him installation has to be done by Dec. 31, 2017.

Regarding the power purchase agreement (PPA) with Earthlight – for the power for the utility rooms in each building –  that system does not require monies up front. Button Hill's owner will pay Earthlight only for the power it produces for the utility rooms. And Earthlight gets the ZRECs for the four owner's meters.

D. Berto said the Housing Authority will go forward with the panels for the owner's meters.

R. Campbell said installation of two bulletin boards for posting notices for tenants is on hold, pending funding.

There was discussion about TV connections which require a small amount of equipment but need to be installed by a professional.  Also, D. Berg will show the ACCESS maintenance staff how to change the battery in the time clock.

There was discussion about the weather stripping on exterior doors.  R. Campbell asked ACCESS to send the Housing Authority a letter of complaint so it could be forwarded to the architect for a solution.

R. Campbell said ACCESS also needs to contact Zlotnick Construction and emphasize that they must coordinate all work on the site with ACCESS, as the management entity.

There was discussion about ACCESS providing identity badges for Housing Authority members, beginning with D. Berg, for when they are on site on official business.

There was discussion about the heating circulator pumps' lights blinking.  R. Campbell said the contractor who installed the pump system needs to check this and ACCESS should ask them for the manuals the Housing Authority hasn't received.  He said to contact him if these manuals aren't provided.

A. Fuentes asked if the dead evergreen tree will be replaced. R. Campbell said it will be.

There was discussion about labeling the Dumpsters as to which is for trash and which is for recyclables.

There was discussion about making sure tenants know they are required to clean up after their dogs, and that they must contact ACCESS about any pets because there is a security deposit to cover pet damage.

D. Berg and W. Gangaway said they will make an appointment with ACCESS to review the draft Tenant Handbook.

D. Berto reminded the committee that it also has to develop a Resident Participation Plan, which should be based on the draft that was submitted with funding applications.

4. New Business –  None.

5. Correspondence – C. D'Agata gave correspondence regarding operating and insurance bills, and security deposits, to ACCESS. She gave Putnam Bank correspondence to D. Berto.

D. Berto and ACCESS representatives left the meeting at 7:18 p.m.

6. Approval of minutes – Approval of three sets of minutes was tabled until the next meeting:  June 12, Special Meeting of June 29, and July 17, 2017. (Note, there was no meeting in August)

7. Treasurer’s report – None.

8. Adjourn – The meeting adjourned at 7:25 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.