Trumbull Housing Authority
September 29, 2014
4:00 pm
Community Room of Stern Village
Commissioner’s Present: Chairperson Janice Kopchik; Vice-Chairperson Linda Nassrah, Commissioners Suzanne Donofrio, Thelma Burr, Susan Fatse.
Also Present: Executive Director Harriet Polansky
The meeting was called to order at 4:04 pm by Mrs. Kopchik. Roll call was conducted followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
Past Minutes
Motion was made by Mrs. Kopchik, seconded by Mrs. Donofrio, to approve the minutes of July 28, 2014 as written. Motion passed unanimously.
Resident Comments
Mr. Littlefield thanked the maintenance staff and Mrs. Polansky for eliminating the tree roots and repairing the walkway in front of units 167 and 170. He also noted there are still problems in the area of unit 153 and 158 with flooding. Water runs down by the garbage corral, down the pathway and into the parking area which could be a hazard in the winter when it freezes. There is also a sink hole in the parking area near units 151 and 154. This could also pose a hazard for everyone if water should freeze. Mr. Littlefield is requesting, on behalf of the Stern Village Tenant’s Association, that the director hire a contractor ASAP to take care of these problems.
Mrs. Polansky stated she would have the maintenance staff and the town look into the situation and see what can be done to correct the situation.
Treasurer’s Report
Mrs. Burr presented a financial summary up to August 31, 2014. Stern Village and Stern Center has an overall profit for this period of $22,731.00. All current vendors have been paid. The cash position is strong. The Village’s cash position is approximately $30,000 and Center’s cash position is $16,000.
Director’s Report
Mrs. Polansky’s report included the following. She noted that Frank Stellato from Millennium was at the meeting to discuss the revitalization.
1. Financial Summary – for the period ending August 31, 2014 there was an overall gain of approximately $22,700. Currently the reserve balance is over $1,147,000 which is approximately $6,518 per unit in the entire complex. The overall cash position as of August 31, 2014 shows a balance of $1,623,000 including the investment account. Accounts payable are approximately $5,400. We are in a strong position to move forward; some minor improvements will be made along the way and other projects will be reviewed to further improve the facility within the realm of affordability and need.
2. A Resident Services Coordinator has been hired. Her name is Paulette Mack and she will start on October 13, 2014. There is also a new maintenance man that will start October 1, 2014 and his name is Richard Perez.
3. Paulette will get to know all residents, will look at different support services, work with Harriet in securing grants and bringing other services to Stern Village. There are different pockets of money available for the residents from Medicare, Medicaid, funds for food and different avenues of free transportation. Paulette will be looking into all these avenues.
4. Annual inspections are right on target and we have not found too many areas of concern. Many of the GFI switches have been replaced and some electrical problems are being fixed. Mrs. Polansky reviewed all inspection reports and noted they are more integrated this year and if she sees anything that looks like a safety issue or a problem, the resident will get a letter to ask the resident to remediate the situation. Some letters have been sent to residents with a deadline of October 1 for remediation. This is for the safety and welfare of the residents.
5. The revitalization of the Village is a huge project. The state has provided us with consultants that are free to the THA to prepare us to request funding in January when the applications for the next round of money will begin. Some of the free consultants are Susan Turley from HERC, Housing Education Resource Center. She will be working with me to create the Resident Participation Plan that will be adhered to. Kim Pietrorzaio from TOVAH will be on site tomorrow to discuss the Resident Participation Plan with the residents, get buy-in, and discuss other matters such as the Tenant’s Association’s compliance with state statutes. The Plan was distributed to the Board and reviewed. This Plan is state mandated and all residents will be a part of the revitalization. The revitalization and plan has been talked about at several meetings and now a document must be provided to continue. Mrs. Polansky reviewed the plan and what will happen moving forward. Kim from TOVAH will be here tomorrow to discuss the plan.
6. The Village also has the support of CHFA and DOH. They have identified us as a critical housing authority and have asked us to participate in the Affordable Housing Academy along with others from Groton, Greenwich, Glastonbury, Branford, Norwalk, Meriden, Danbury and Bethel. Classes started in the middle of September and will continue through January. These classes will prepare us to ask for funding.
7. Team THA for the Revitalization of Stern Villge includes: Board of Commissioners, Stern Village residents, the consultants from Millennium Frank Stellato and Bruce Whitaker, Kim from TOVAH, Sue from HERC, Cardo as the environmental consultant, Director of Economic Development for the Town of Trumbull Ed Lavernovich, Neil Gerhardt, Paulette Mack, Harriet Polansky and an architect. The state mandates we have an architect. We are down to the final three after working on the proposals for several months.
8. Frank Stellato spoke on the architect selection. He noted they had a concept of what they wanted Stern Village to look like and as that has been honed, we have been able to develop a better understanding of what might be in the future. The Housing Academy classes have also helped with this understanding. The funding sources dictate what direction we need to go in terms of how we look at applications and how we look at the scope of the project. From the initial response of architects, we have been able to bring the number down to three finalists and are trying to get them all on the same page. We are within about two weeks to make a recommendation to the board for their consideration and selection.
9. Frank also noted there are two funding rounds. The first is in April. This is the state housing portfolio round which is exclusive to housing authorities. We have been pre-selected relative to this funding round. This will encompass a significant part of the renovation component. What is known as the Champ Funding, is targeted for June 2015, with an announcement date of September. This is more difficult because we get into land use issues, storm water management issues but the architect design team works on this phase. Second round for Champ is in December 2015. We should be able to get through the municipal approvals and be on track for 2015/2016 application funding round. Earliest construction start would be 2016. Mrs. Polansky noted the process takes time to work through the state and even though we are taking baby steps, the revitalization is progressing.
10. State mandates were reviewed, rent amounts were discussed as it relates to income from the state and funding availability discussed. The total project is between $20-25 million; first phase is $10 million. Energy efficient designs are being reviewed along with some hi-tech items for patient safety; integration of universal design so residents can age in place and the vision of a New England village style for each building. This all depends on funding.
Unfinished Business
No unfinished business.
New Business
1. Mrs. Kopchik moved that the THA prepare and approve a Resident Participation Plan, which has sought and obtained the input from the residents. We will not at this time enter into a signed Resident Participation Plan Agreement. Seconded by Mrs. Donofrio. No discussion; motion passed unanimously.
Adjournment
There being no further business, Mrs. Kopchik made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 4:35 pm. Seconded by Mrs. Donofrio; motion passed unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara Crandall
Clerk
THA Minutes for September 092914 (1) HP