Housing Authority Minutes
Willington Housing Authority
Monday, October 16, 2017 – 6 p.m.
20 Senior Way – Senior Center
Willington, CT
Present: Chairman Robert Campbell, Vice Chairman Wilbur Gangaway, Secretary Don Berg, Member Laurel Millix, Housing Consultant David Berto, ACCESS management representatives Alex Fuentes and Melanie Savage, and Recording Secretary Brenda Sullivan. Absent: Treasurer Claudia D’Agata.
1. Call to order – 6 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 bills from Zlotnick Construction and the procedure for closing out the project.
D. Berto said the WHA has been waiting for 6 weeks for documents from Zlotnick, in order to get the last part of retainage (and finish the punch list).
D. Berto said the WHA can hold back 1.5 times the estimated cost of any unresolved items on the punch list.
There was discussion about which funds currently can be used for paying bills. D. Berto distributed a break-out showing all the project’s bills as of last week that haven’t been paid, and where funds could be drawn from, i.e. $70,000 in energy rebates (in 2-4 weeks). He also suggested the smaller bills could potentially be paid from rental income.
There was discussion about Putnam Bank releasing funds based on a certain percentage of occupied units. D. Berto noted that not all of the bank funds have been spent, but Putnam Bank requires $107,000 in an operating reserve, which remains frozen until the bank is confident Button Hill will be adequately rented.
There was discussion about work underway by Earthlight Solar and paying for those materials and services, i.e. they have been installing solar panels. D. Berto said WHA has received a bill of about $18,000, but funds to pay that bill are not currently available. D. Berto asked D. Berg what Earthlight’s expectations are in terms of when they will be paid. D. Berg said the company hasn’t set a particular deadline. D. Berto said he will ask Putnam Bank if a portion of the $107,000 operating reserve can be released.
There was discussion about how many units still need to be rented and what ACCESS is doing to market Button Hill.
A. Fuentes said that currently there are 13 tenants. Another is waiting until her property is sold, two applications are under review, and he just received a new inquiry. He said rent has been paid by the 13 tenants for October.
Regarding marketing, A. Fuentes said the ACCESS website has been updated with new information about Button Hill, flyers were distributed at the Third Thursday Street Fest in Willimantic, information has been posted on Facebook and Twitter, brochures were sent to senior centers in surrounding towns (although the Vernon Senior Center wouldn’t allow them to leave brochures), information was sent to local social service departments, and ads will be published by the Journal Inquirer in its special section for seniors on Oct. 19 and Oct. 31. He said an ad also will be published in the winter edition of the Mansfield Parks & Recreation brochure, as well as in the Chronicle shopper. He said most inquiries have come from the senior centers; one originated from the Facebook page.
W. Gangaway said he’s left brochures in doctors’ offices.
There was discussion about hiring a realtor to help market the units. R. Campbell also suggested listing Button Hill on MLS. D. Berg said hiring a realtor might be a cost-effective way of reaching more potential tenants. R. Campbell suggested negotiating a reduced rate for the entire complex.
A. Fuentes distributed a handout showing Button Hill’s assets and liabilities and a cash flow statement. He said rental income is being used to pay for utilities, liability insurance and worker’s compensation.
D. Berto suggested that some of the smaller bills be paid from extra funds in the operating budget.
There was discussion about Eversource billing issues, including checks that Eversource said haven’t been received. R. Campbell said he will give D. Berg the dates and amounts of the checks he sent so D. Berg can deal with the collection office, which began calling within weeks of the bills’ due date.
There was discussion about the end-of-project punch list. R. Campbell said ACCESS needs to give Zlotnick Construction a complete list of what still needs to be done. They also have to contact Crosskey Architects to find out if that punch list is closed. D. Berto said to begin with the Crosskey Architects list and add on/cross off items.
D. Berto said the WHA has a warranty period of a year, so items can continue to be added to the punch list if they come up.
There was discussion about how to fix the issue of hot water in the bathroom sinks not being up to temperature. W. Gangaway said the fix is to install an aerator, because it increases the speed of flow. R. Campbell asked D. Berg to order aerators and have the ACCESS maintenance staff install them.
There was also discussion about locks that aren’t working properly. R. Campbell said the locks are under Zlotnick Construction’s warranty.
R. Campbell and D. Berto stressed that all of these kinds of problems have to go through ACCESS to Zlotnick Construction.
There was discussion about whether tenants can do certain kinds of work in their apartment, i.e. add grab bars in the shower. R. Campbell said this kind of work must be done by a contractor with a Home Improvement Contractor license. It was agreed that if work is considered a “reasonable accommodation” (such as a grab bar), then the management company can coordinate and the Housing Authority pays out of rental income.
W. Gangaway said he still has concerns about people walking their dogs in the Button Hill area; he said dogs should be kept at least 50 feet away from wells. He also said a stop sign still needs to be installed and he would like a couple of speed limit signs and no smoking signs.
There was discussion about the snow-plowing contract. A. Fuentes said Randy Pako submitted a quote for plowing, as well as shoveling patios and the walkway to the mechanical room.
There was discussion about connecting the emergency pull cords in the units to central dispatch. It was agreed this is a cost that can be discussed in the future.
M. Savage said there needs to be a plan for snow removal in terms of how and when cars will be moved to allow for plowing the parking lot. She also asked about how the fire system works, such as, when do sprinklers get activated? R. Campbell said E. O’Donnell could give her a full explanation.
D. Berto asked about the status of the site’s soil and grass. R. Campbell said the property was reseeded, but that this is an issue that will likely come up again in the spring.
There was discussion about potential problems with the thermostats for the heating system – outside sensors may need to be relocated to the north side, because heat from the sun may be causing incorrect registration. R. Campbell said this needs to be addressed immediately, and that ACCESS should contact Zlotnick Construction.
A. Fuentes said ACCESS will compile and maintain an Excel spreadsheet for items like these, so that others can add new issues and/or delete completed items.
There was discussion about ACCESS coordinating the next open house with the Willington Senior Center pancake breakfast, since there usually is a large turnout.
D. Berto, A. Fuentes and M. Savage left the meeting at 7:45 p.m.
4. New Business – Responding to a question from L. Millix about how a hotel bill for a tenant waiting to move into a unit was paid, R. Campbell said it was paid from the developer’s fee fund.
5. Correspondence – None.
6. Approval of minutes – Approval of 4 sets of minutes was tabled until the next meeting: June 12, Special Meeting of June 29, July 17 and September 11, 2017. (Note, there was no meeting in August)
7. Treasurer’s report – None.
8. Adjourn – The meeting adjourned at 8 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.