Trumbull Housing Authority Meeting – October 27, 2014

Trumbull Housing Authority
October 27, 2014
4:00 pm

Community Room of Stern Village

Commissioners Present: Chairperson Janice Kopchik, Commissioners Suzanne Donofrio, Susan Fatse
and Thelma Burr

Also Present: Executive Director Harriet Polansky

Commissioners Absent: Linda Nassrah

The meeting was called to order at 4:05 pm by Mrs. Kopchik. Roll call was conducted followed by the
Pledge of Allegiance.

Past Minutes
Motion was made by Mrs. Kopchik to approve the minutes of the THA on September 29, 2014 as written. Seconded by Mrs. Fatse and approved unanimously.

Motion was made by Mrs. Kopchik to approve the minutes of the Special Meeting of the THA on October 13, 2014 as written. Seconded by Mrs. Fatse and approved unanimously.

Resident Comments
Mr. Dove Kasari spoke regarding an individual who comes home late at night and races around the area playing loud music disturbing the village. Mrs. Polansky noted she was unaware of this problem and stated this should be brought to Paulette’s attention as the Resident Service Coordinator for help. Mrs.
Polansky noted speeding is a problem. They do have speed bumps which will be disappearing with the upcoming winter weather. The Trumbull PD has been contacted regarding these problems by the resident and Mrs. Polansky. Other residents have heard this music coming from the back of the village
property and they have also heard fireworks being set off. Mrs. Polansky will work to resolve this problem.

Mr. Paul Littlefield spoke on behalf of the Tenant’s Association requesting the Board of Commissioners prepare in advance to have an agreement in place for snow removal within the Village including secondary exits to the apartments. Discussion was held regarding the snowstorm Nemo and how snow removal has improved since that time. Mrs. Polansky noted last year, the Village was on top of the snow removal and when there was an impending storm, the maintenance department remained on site.

Treasurer’s Report
Mrs. Burr noted for the three months ending September 30, 2014, Stern Village and Stern Center had an overall profit for the period of $10,557. All current vendors have been paid. Our cash position is strong and the current Village cash position is approximately $34, 500 and the Center cash position is $13,000.
For the Center, we have received the first quarterly money from the Department of Housing and repairing the sprinkler system. In the Village, additional ranges were purchased, a new office and storage area was established, and some blacktop repairs were made..

Executive Director’s Report
Mrs. Polansky noted there was an overall gain for the past three months of $10,557. Currently the reserve balance is over #1,439,000 which is approximately $6,482 for each unit in the entire complex. The overall cash position as of September 30, 2014 shows a balance of $1,624,000 including the investment account. Accounts Payable is approximately $11,000. We are in a strong position to move forward making some minor improvements for safety and will continue to look at other projects to improve the facility within affordability and need. Paulette started mid-October and Richard, the new maintenance man, started October 1.

We are also proceeding with the undertaking of the revitalization of the village and attending meetings towards that end. We have contracted with Millennium for the overall consultant, hired Cardinow as the overall consultant, who has completed their work and have engaged George Wilds as the architects. This is a major understating will take a great deal of time and effort as we move forward with the revitalization and redevelopment plans. Right now the project is in the planning stage.

CHFA told Mrs. Polansky that we are a high performing housing authority. This means that we are following the processes and procedures and they do not have to visit us regularly.

Mrs. Polansky noted that as the revitalization process moves along, residents interested will be able to discuss ideas. The THA Commissioners, Neil, Paulette and Mrs. Polansky are following the Resident Participation Plan that was agreed to. The first Resident Participation Plan meeting was held earlier this month and it was a huge success. The next meeting will be November 11, 2014 at 11 am. She noted there is a free bus trip on 10/28 to visit the Danbury Housing Authority Glen Apartments. Bus is provided by GBT and will leave at 1pm. There units are similar to the Trumbull Village.

Also on 10/28, there is a meeting with the Director of Planning and Zoning and the Town Engineer to review the entire revitalization project, get their input, and review time lines. Members from Millennium, Mrs. Polansky, Ed Lavernovich and other members from the town will be at the meeting. Mrs. Polansky, Neil, Frank, Bruce, Paulette and others have been attending the Academy. Neil and Mrs. Polansky met with some people from the Academy to review their pro forma. The idea was to review the revision, the object, discuss the revitalization/rehabilitation, the need for RAP, since we have not had it before. The next step will be that the people at the Academy will take the input and provide it to CHFA for the next sessions. Next meetings are November 12 and 13. Cardinow Environmental has finished all their testing. The report should be available within the next few weeks and shared with the residents. This testing was mandated by the State.
Unfinished Business No unfinished business.

New Business

1. As part of the pre-development phase, we must have a Resident Participation Plan. The State is  pushing very hard, and spending a lot of money on the Village, to meet with people to get things  through. A meeting was held with Suzanne from HURK to work with her to draft a Resident Participation Plan. A draft was voted on by the board am dot was agreed to start using this plan. Kim from TOVAH worked with the residents to review the plan. A letter was received from her, which is also on the website for the town, regarding the process including dissemination of the material, meetings and feedback. According to the resident feedback, the plan is fine. Kim suggested that the Board approve the proposed plan. Every resident will receive a copy. Motion was made by Mrs. Kopchik to adopt the Resident Participation Plan. Motion was seconded by Mrs. Burr and approved unanimously.
2. Out sourcing of the food service was discussed. Mrs. Polansky gave some background information regarding the current food service noting that a noon meal is served seven days a week. Mrs. Polansky and Neil have evaluated the meal cost. Neil, Madeline and Mrs. Polansky are spending a lot of time managing the kitchen operations. An outside food vendor will allow the process to be streamlined and the costs saved will be better spent and utilized by creating
   and implementing new and innovative programs to meet the needs of the residents as well as enhance our existing services for the residents of the Congregate. Four responses were received from the RFP. A team of taste testers and evaluators was established to taste food at various facilities. After review, it was agreed that Jeff Shapiro from Creative Culinary Service should be awarded the contract. Mrs. Shapiro gave a brief description of his services, noting that some details would need to be worked out on some aspects of the project. Motion was made by Mrs. Kopchik to approve Creative Culinary Service as the food vendor for the Congregate. Seconded by Mrs. Fatse and the motion carried unanimously.

Executive Session
Motion was made by Mrs. Kopchik to enter Executive Session to discuss personnel matters at 4:41 pm.  Attendees will be THS Commission Board members Fatse, Kopchik, Donofrio and Burr as well as Neil  Gerhardt and Mrs. Polansky. Motion seconded by Mrs. Fatse and approved unanimously. Motion was made by Mrs, Kopchik to end the Exeuctive Session at 5:25 pm. Motion seconded by Mrs. Fatse and approved unanimously.

Adjournment
Motion was made by Mrs. Kopchik to adjourn the meeting at 5:25 pm. Motion seconded by Mrs. Fatse and approved unanimously.

Respectfully submitted,
Barbara Crandall
Clerk

MinutesTHA-October 27 2014

Revitalization and Rehabilitation of Stern Village –
RESIDENT PARTICIPATION MEETING
OCTOBER 16, 2014 MINUTES
Ms. Polansky opened the meeting at 11:10am and introduced the team members.
Trumbull Housing and Revitalization and Rehabilitation Team Members
Present: Ms. Harriet Polansky
Mr. Neil Gerhardt
Ms. Paulette Mack
Millennium
Mr. Whitaker Jr., Managing Member
Mr. Frank Stellato, Associate Director
Wiles Architect
Mr. George Wiles, Executive Director
Mr. Brandt Jobst, Architect

A sign-in sheet was passed around for residents to sign.
Ms. Polansky discussed the agenda items which included an overview of State mandates for predevelopment, funding sources applicable to Stern Village and requirements from CHFA and DOH for the submission of the application.
Mr. Whitaker discussed the application process and the need for a conceptual master plan for the Stern Village revitalization and redevelopment project. Mr. Whitaker stated that it was important to have input from the residents as the project moves forward.
Ms. Polansky stated that the master-plan concept will be due the third week in November, 2014. At that time, a concept of the Stern Village revitalization and redevelopment project will be presented to the State. In April, 2015, the Trumbull Housing Authority (THA) will apply for funding; it will take approximately 8 to 9 months to receive notification of its approval. It is anticipated that THA will receive notification of approval for RAP funding by the end of July or the beginning of August, 2015. Once approved, construction will start around March or April, 2016. The master plan will not be entered as a single project; consideration for this large project will have to be done in phases.
Mr. Whitaker stated he plans to attend a forum in Hartford where Governor Malloy and Tom Foley will be addressing Affordable Housing funding; he added that it is important to start a Resident Council to get residents involved in the Stern Village revitalization/redevelopment project.
Ms. Polansky reported that Ms. Kimberly Pietrorzaio, Executive Director, TOVAH, Inc. is already working with the residents on forming this council at THA.
Mt. Whitaker added that the 100-unit revitalization/rehabilitation project MILLENNIUM has been working on at Glen Apartments, Memorial Drive, Danbury, CT is near completion. Ms. Polansky suggested that THA secure a bus that will accommodate 35 residents to visit the property. The residents who attended this meeting agreed this was a great idea.
Mr. Whitaker stated that the Glen Apartments’ units are similar to the units included in the Stern Village revitalization and redevelopment project. Square footage to the units at Stern Village could be attained by adding screened-in patios and storage space. The screen patio and storage areas are not meant to be used for living quarters. Residents are interested in having a washer/dryer combination and discussed their hot water heaters that were taking up too much space. All of these suggestions will be considered in the Stern Village project.
The residents were also concerned about relocating while this project is underway. Ms. Polansky and Mr. Whitaker discussed having “motel units” at Stern Village. Vacant apartments will be rehabbed and residents will be able to move into those units. A resident can choose to stay at the new location or move back to his/her old apartment. A relocation plan will be in place that will be discussed with the residents. Residents can choose to pack themselves up or have THA pay for their moving expenses. MILLENNIUM will be responsible for the resident’s change of address, Lifeline (ERS), cable, oxygen, and other medical equipment. CARDNO will check for mold, mildew and asbestos for safety precautions before the project begins. A high-energy evaluation will be done to conserve energy for all residents in their new apartments.
The next meeting date is yet to be determined.
The meeting adjourned at 12:30pm.
Submitted by,
Paulette Mack
Resident Services Coordinator

Updates from Harriet Polansky for October 3, 2014
The THA is working towards the revitalization of Stern Village.
The CT Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) and the Department of Housing (DOH) has identified Stern Village as a critical housing authority, since there have not been any substantial improvements in over 40 years. We have the support of CHFA and DOH to make the necessary improvements to Stern Village. The first phase is Pre-Development.
The State mandates that we have:
-a Consultant, which is Millennium. Bruce Whitaker and Frank Stellato of Millennium have attended THA Board Meetings and they have met many of our residents.
-an Environmental Consultant. We have chosen Cardno ATC; they will start testing next week.
-an Architectural Firm. We have chosen George Wiles and his firm.
-a Residents’ Participation Plan. Harriet has worked with Sue from the Housing Education Resource Center to create the plan. Kim from TOVAH, met with the Residents on September 29, to discuss the importance of the plan and requested input from residents for her October 14th meeting.
We have also been asked to participate in the Affordable Housing Academy. These intense classes started mid-September. The State only selected 10 Housing Authorities to attend! We are excited to be part of the Academy!
Team THA for Revitalization of Stern Village:
-The Board of Commissioners. They are apprised of everything that we do.
-Stern Village residents that are interested in participating in the revitalization.
-Consultants: Frank Stellato and Bruce Whitaker from Millennium
-Kim from TOVAH to work with the residents.
-Cardo ATC has been selected and approved by the THA Board, as our environmental consultant
-Ed Lavernovich, the Director of Economic Development for The Town of Trumbull is part of the team.
-Neil Gerhardt, our Financial Advisor
-Paulette Mack, our RSC, starts October 13th.
-Architect. State mandates that we also have an architect. Based on our due diligence, we have narrowed the selection down to three firms and we are in the midst of reviewing proposals.
-And of course, myself
Our combined vision is to improve the quality of life for our 186 low income elderly and disabled residents by renovating and rehabilitating all 186 units, repaving the roads, walkways and have step-less entrances to each apartment, build a connecting road, add more parking closer to the units, fix our storm water drainage and water issues. Add ADA units and increase our capacity. Ensure that our buildings are energy efficient. We need new roofs and gutters, better insulation in the attics, energy efficient doors and windows. Heat pumps to provide comfort and to lower the residents heating and air conditioning bills. Energy efficient appliances, lighting, water heaters and window blinds. Hi-tech motion sensors rather than emergency pull cords and hi-tech alarm systems/smoke detectors to enable first responders.

Minutes – Revitalization and Rehabilitation of Stern Village Oct 3, 2014

Revitalization and Rehabilitation of Stern Village –
RESIDENT PARTICIPATION MEETING
OCTOBER 3, 2014 MINUTES
Ms. Polansky opened the meeting at 11:10am and introduced the team members.
Trumbull Housing and Revitalization and Rehabilitation Team Members
Present: Ms. Harriet Polansky
Mr. Neil Gerhardt
Ms. Paulette Mack
Millennium
Mr. Whitaker Jr., Managing Member
Mr. Frank Stellato, Associate Director
Wiles Architect
Mr. George Wiles, Executive Director
Mr. Brandt Jobst, Architect

A sign-in sheet was passed around for residents to sign.
Ms. Polansky discussed the agenda items which included an overview of State mandates for predevelopment, funding sources applicable to Stern Village and requirements from CHFA and DOH for the submission of the application.
Mr. Whitaker discussed the application process and the need for a conceptual master plan for the Stern Village revitalization and redevelopment project. Mr. Whitaker stated that it was important to have input from the residents as the project moves forward.
Ms. Polansky stated that the master-plan concept will be due the third week in November, 2014. At that time, a concept of the Stern Village revitalization and redevelopment project will be presented to the State. In April, 2015, the Trumbull Housing Authority (THA) will apply for funding; it will take approximately 8 to 9 months to receive notification of its approval. It is anticipated that THA will receive notification of approval for RAP funding by the end of July or the beginning of August, 2015. Once approved, construction will start around March or April, 2016. The master plan will not be entered as a single project; consideration for this large project will have to be done in phases.
Mr. Whitaker stated he plans to attend a forum in Hartford where Governor Malloy and Tom Foley will be addressing Affordable Housing funding; he added that it is important to start a Resident Council to get residents involved in the Stern Village revitalization/redevelopment project.
Ms. Polansky reported that Ms. Kimberly Pietrorzaio, Executive Director, TOVAH, Inc. is already working with the residents on forming this council at THA.
Mr. Whitaker added that the 100-unit revitalization/rehabilitation project MILLENNIUM has been working on at Glen Apartments, Memorial Drive, Danbury, CT is near completion. Ms. Polansky suggested that THA secure a bus that will accommodate 35 residents to visit the property. The residents who attended this meeting agreed this was a great idea.
Mr. Whitaker stated that the Glen Apartments’ units are similar to the units included in the Stern Village revitalization and redevelopment project. Square footage to the units at Stern Village could be attained by adding screened-in patios and storage space. The screen patio and storage areas are not meant to be used for living quarters. Residents are interested in having a washer/dryer combination and discussed their hot water heaters that were taking up too much space. All of these suggestions will be considered in the Stern Village project.
The residents were also concerned about relocating while this project is underway. Ms. Polansky and Mr. Whitaker discussed having “motel units” at Stern Village. Vacant apartments will be rehabbed and residents will be able to move into those units. A resident can choose to stay at the new location or move back to his/her old apartment. A relocation plan will be in place that will be discussed with the residents. Residents can choose to pack themselves up or have THA pay for their moving expenses. MILLENNIUM will be responsible for the resident’s change of address, Lifeline (ERS), cable, oxygen, and other medical equipment. CARDNO will check for mold, mildew and asbestos for safety precautions before the project begins. A high-energy evaluation will be done to conserve energy for all residents in their new apartments.
The next meeting date is yet to be determined.
The meeting adjourned at 12:30pm.
Submitted by,
Paulette Mack
Resident Services Coordinator

Updates from Harriet Polansky for October 3, 2014
The THA is working towards the revitalization of Stern Village.
The CT Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) and the Department of Housing (DOH) has identified Stern Village as a critical housing authority, since there have not been any substantial improvements in over 40 years. We have the support of CHFA and DOH to make the necessary improvements to Stern Village. The first phase is Pre-Development.
The State mandates that we have:
-a Consultant, which is Millennium. Bruce Whitaker and Frank Stellato of Millennium have attended THA Board Meetings and they have met many of our residents.
-an Environmental Consultant. We have chosen Cardno ATC; they will start testing next week.
-an Architectural Firm. We have chosen George Wiles and his firm.
-a Residents’ Participation Plan. Harriet has worked with Sue from the Housing Education Resource Center to create the plan. Kim from TOVAH, met with the Residents on September 29, to discuss the importance of the plan and requested input from residents for her October 14th meeting.
We have also been asked to participate in the Affordable Housing Academy. These intense classes started mid-September. The State only selected 10 Housing Authorities to attend! We are excited to be part of the Academy!
Team THA for Revitalization of Stern Village:
-The Board of Commissioners. They are apprised of everything that we do.
-Stern Village residents that are interested in participating in the revitalization.
-Consultants: Frank Stellato and Bruce Whitaker from Millennium
-Kim from TOVAH to work with the residents.
-Cardo ATC has been selected and approved by the THA Board, as our environmental consultant
-Ed Lavernovich, the Director of Economic Development for The Town of Trumbull is part of the team.
-Neil Gerhardt, our Financial Advisor
-Paulette Mack, our RSC, starts October 13th.
-Architect. State mandates that we also have an architect. Based on our due diligence, we have narrowed the selection down to three firms and we are in the midst of reviewing proposals.
-And of course, myself
Our combined vision is to improve the quality of life for our 186 low income elderly and disabled residents by renovating and rehabilitating all 186 units, repaving the roads, walkways and have step-less entrances to each apartment, build a connecting road, add more parking closer to the units, fix our storm water drainage and water issues. Add ADA units and increase our capacity. Ensure that our buildings are energy efficient. We need new roofs and gutters, better insulation in the attics, energy efficient doors and windows. Heat pumps to provide comfort and to lower the residents heating and air conditioning bills. Energy efficient appliances, lighting, water heaters and window blinds. Hi-tech motion sensors rather than emergency pull cords and hi-tech alarm systems/smoke detectors to enable first responders.

Minutes – Revitalization and Rehabilitation of Stern Village Oct 3, 2014