Community Development Advisory Committee

CDAC MINUTES PUBLIC HEARING APRIL 14, 2011 4:30 P.M. ROOM 335 Members Present: Les King, Demo Angelopoulos, Red McKeon, Ed Derr, and Lynn Norris Others Present: Gary Evans, Susan Goldman, and Linda Lee Smith Absent: John Mathieu The CDAC Public Hearing was called to order at 4:35 p.m. Gary Evans opened the CDAC PY 37 Public Hearing at 4:35 p.m. with a brief overview on the procedures to follow for the evening. Norwich Dept. of Public Works – $95,000 -Teresa Hanlon Teresa Hanlon said they are requesting $95,000 for sidewalks on Route 12. Over the past 12 years they have put in sidewalks on Route 32, which is a high pedestrian area, major safety concerns. This year they will be completed. Sidewalks have also been worked on in the Greeneville area in an attempt to tie Route 12 into the downtown area. The Greeneville NRZ has asked for their support. It is for a low-income area and there is a lot of pedestrian traffic in the area. Ed Derr asked if they had checked how much pedestrian traffic there was in that area? They haven’t done a pedestrian count but there is a steady flow of pedestrian traffic. In the area near Dunkin Donuts there are paths that are warn out. Ed Derr asked if more people walk on Central Avenue than North Main Street? Teresa said she didn’t know. Ed didn’t think there was much traffic on North Main Street. Why would people walk on North Main rather than Central Avenue? Teresa said to get to the City. Ed said they could walk down Central Avenue that has sidewalks. One of the City’s Plans for Conservation and Development is for beautification and to entice development in Norwich and attract businesses. Les King asked if out of the entire City, North Main Street was the best place to put sidewalks once Route 32 is finished? Teresa said there are other areas but they don’t qualify, and this was one area they have invested in the past, and this would be a consideration to complete. This would be a top priority right now. Les King asked in Section C1 on application to refer to attached drawings. They didn’t receive any drawings in their application there were only pictures. Teresa Hanlon said they don’t do a lot of engineering on the project until they have the funding. Les said the pictures are good, but they need maps that would show the streets where the sidewalks would be installed. DPW will supply the CDAC with maps of the streets to be done. A breakdown of the cost for linear foot, with a rough idea of what the amount of money would cover. Les King asked if North Main Street was a State road? Teresa said yes it was. Have they applied to DOT and completed certain applications that need to be done? Teresa said they have not yet but they would have to get approval from DOT and this wouldn’t be a problem because they have always worked closely with DOT. The contractor would do the application for the construction, and they just need their approval. Les asked if any of the money would be used for administration? Teresa said the majority of funding would go towards the actual sidewalk project. A small portion would go towards engineering. Les King asked on the maps if they could show what is being replaced and what is new. Teresa said about 95% of it would be new. There are a couple of small sections that are in very bad shape that need to be replaced. For the most part it’s new construction and they would be five-foot sidewalks. DPW will supply the CDAC with maps of the streets that would show where sidewalks would be installed. Norwich Housing Authority- $100,000 – Charles Whitty, Hector Ballargeon, Steve Garstka Charles Whitty is requesting $100,000 to re-roof and put new gutters at JFK2, which is a state affordable property located on Kennedy and Sullivan Drives, off Western Avenue. It’s leased to 2800 individuals. At JFK2 there are 40 units, 9 buildings, approximately 113 tenants. The only income they get for this property is through rents. The State does not give them any operating or capital money. The people who reside there have extremely low incomes. 100% of them have very low income, 67.5 have extremely low income, 32.5 are below the poverty level meaning less than $10,809 a year. JFK2 was built in 1989, 22 years old, original roof and original gutters. They are beginning to have some issues it could lead to more serious problems. This project would consist of removing the existing shingles, tar paper, replacing any rotted wood, replace the sheeting, install ice shield, ridge vents, flashing. The total project hard costs are projected $200,000. They are requesting $100,000 in PY 37; and the balance they would look to request in PY 38. They will cover the soft costs, which are the architect engineering, advertising, printing and supervision of the project. The environmental has been done and the buildings are clean. If funded they would cover the project design costs and be ready to go when the CDBG funding is available and be done in the spring of 2012. NHA makes payment in lieu of taxes to the City. The past year they gave $291,180. Since 1991 they have given the City 5.5 million dollars. They are looking to preserve these family units. Most of these individuals don’t have the income, and would have difficulty affording to rent housing in any other locations. Demo Angelopoulos asked how many units they have? Charles Whitty said there are 686 buildings they own. They house approximately 1,500 individuals, 686 families; another 514 Section 8 Vouchers which they administer for 1300 people. The total is about 2800 individuals being housed in one of those two programs that they operate. Red McKeon asked who determines the low-income persons living at NHA. Charles Whitty said that they follow the HUD guidelines for the low or extremely low income. The State allows them to adopt those guidelines for purposes of their state units also; Red McKeon asked how do they prove their income? Charles Whitty said initially they screen everyone for income. They also do background and income checks. Each year they do a recertification. If anyone has misrepresented the income they begin eviction procedures and go after for the money that is owed. Guidelines for when you are eligible are slightly different than once you become a tenant. Once they become a tenant there is a little bit more flexibility on how much income they earn. Les King asked if there were any roof leaks? Charles Whitty said they have had some issues and they have been able to handle them with patching. Les questioned it was a 20 year roof and already they’re having problems? Charles Whitty said yes the original project was funded in 1989; the projected amount of money they had to do it was greater than what they ended up getting. They had to make some adjustments in the construction. Les King asked if there was a cost breakdown with the cost per square. The committee received one estimate from the engineer. The company looked at it and just looked at prints of the original. Steve Garstka said they had to go up to take the test samples for asbestos. Les said the committee is trying to get their biggest bang for their buck. Les King questioned the roof was being ripped off and there was only one layer not two. They could put a second layer on which would extend it for another twenty years; and then do a full rip off at that point as opposed to after one layer. Les asked if there was any consideration to do it that way, and do the whole project at one time instead of cutting it in half.. Steve Garstka said they like to do it clean the first time. It’s always been the philosophy to do it once and do it right. They have uncovered too many problems in the past and tried to spread money a little too thin and didn’t do it correct the first time and then had to pay a price down the road. The difficulty is there is no way knowing with this project. The only monies they can spend on this are from the tenant’s rents. They are all very low-income tenants paying base rents. They will not have the funding for the 40 units to do it themselves. Les King said that the private industry usually puts a second layer on; it doesn’t do anything detrimental to the building. This spreads the capital improvement costs over 30-50 years and putting a second layer on would reduces the cost for the roof without any detriment to the building. Hector Ballargeon said one issue of doing it that was is you don’t know the condition of the wood underneath. If it needs to be replaced it could start leaking and then you would pay more to replace it after the fact. They have previously done a lot of work including window replacement in 2006; these are brick buildings and by doing the roofs they will have taken care of major items. Red McKeon asked what is the minimum amount of money they could use? Charles Whitty said they would bid the project in alternate ways. Some of the soft costs are duplicated each time the project has to go out to bid. They have to revise specs and plans, advertising, printing, and some duplication supervision costs. There is startup and take down that takes place each time. The bottom line is they would do as much possible. SCADD - $8,000 – Jack Malone Jack Malone is requesting $8,000 for replacement door at 313 Main Street, which is the only halfway house in the City. It’s a nonprofit that treats persons with alcoholism and drug dependent problems. They have been in operation since March 30, 1969, 13 gentlemen live there and receive variety of treatments to include detoxification. The City of Norwich gave them funds to have the porch rebuilt. This is the second time they are asking for funding to replace the door. There is a very functional door there that does not belong on the house. It is going to require a good door with sidelights that meets fire code. They received State bond money to put a new roof on their building. The Sachem Fund gave them funds and had the building sandblasted because it was covered with ivy, which is very bad for bricks. Les King asked about the information in Section G2; it says they have a cost estimate but there was no breakdown of what was included in the estimate. Mr. Malone said yes he has an estimate. They will forward the cost estimate including the labor to the CDAC. Removal of the existing door, side lights, and remove threshold. The committee would like a more detailed breakdown of the estimate. The cost of the threshold is brownstone and scalloped and they have to work with it. They are going to have to build it up with some sort of composite. Les King questioned if they were all males that live in the house. Mr. Malone said yes. Is it considered a primary residence for the time they are there? Mr. Malone said yes. Les King asked how long do they stay? Mr. Malone said it could be up to three months, and seldom up to six months. They have a benefit to stay there and they are encouraged to seek work. Once they get a job they can still stay but after they’ve made a certain amount of money they have to leave. Les King asked if there was a lease signed with them? Mr. Malone said there is no lease. There are 13 beds and they are never empty. There is a large residential treatment program in Lebanon for men. There is always a waiting list to get. It is a preferred place and with some sort of contract on their willingness to stay sober. Les King asked if the rental money is subsidized from different programs. Mr. Malone said that the people SCADD takes care of have lost all family supports; they get a medical benefit from the State of CT that pays for treatment. Lynn Norris questioned if the13 men bring any skills with them, such as maintenance skills around painting and repairs. Mr. Malone said yes there are 13 men and they bring tremendous amount of skill. They are expected to clean the house, and work when necessary. They are not sophisticated enough to do this type of specialized job. CD/Rehabilitation Program - $350,000 – Wayne Sharkey Wayne Sharkey explained he was requesting $350,000. The goals of the HUD Rehab Program is to create and maintain safe, affordable housing. Individuals that are low income can apply for funding to rehab their property at 0% interest loan. Properties are inspected and approved for code correction items such as energy efficiency, lead hazard paints, and anything that could pose a safety or deficiency to that structure. Individuals usually start paying back their portion of the rehab loan 30 days from completion. Les King asked what the cost per unit was? Wayne Sharkey said based on last year’s estimates $11,037 per unit for rehab, $9,687 for lead components. The Rehab program was used to match funds for the lead program. They received 1.6 million dollars in lead funding about two years ago. It allowed them to make the rehab dollars go further. This past year 39 units were completed in lead and rehab. They are coming into the last year of the lead grant and are in the applying for more lead funding to continue. Les King asked if it was being drawn down at the right rate so that the timing would be right. The lead program gets rated by HUD every quarter. They’ve had a green rating which is the top since they started the program. They are in full compliance, and will be spending out the final dollars by April 14, 2012. They are currently in the application process for new lead funds and should know by the end of the summer. If they don’t have a lead component they still have to do the lead hazard correction work it just taps into more of the rehab funds, which means fewer units and a much lower impact. Les King asked if it was matching funds 1 for 1? Wayne Sharkey said not quite 1 for 1 the percentage was about 65% - 75% percent rehab vs. lead dollars. This is for the overall grant. On construction dollars it’s dollar for dollar. Wayne Sharkey said from last April to the end of March they put 16 units that were previously uninhabitable back on the tax roles. It’s a combination of issues with these units. Some units get lead and rehab, some get just rehab. They focus on three criteria, which are code compliance, lead safety and energy efficiency. A lot of them have received high efficiency heating systems. Each one that had lead issues receives full lead safety compliance according to Federal Government and State guidelines. Les King asked if it was a no interest loan a couple of years ago? Wayne Sharkey said it was a pure grant program; and now it’s a no interest loan. The lien is put on the property for the cost of the loan. Les asked if the property sells does the money come out the sale of the property and if so, is it a full return of the money. Wayne Sharkey said on the lead side there is a component if they keep the property for 10 years it’s fully forgiven. Les King said that the rehab money would get 100% return on it one way or another. Wayne Sharkey said yes. There is money coming back into the program as return of loan funds. Investors have to pay back over 10 years. Les King asked if it was only for residential because he had questions regarding using funds on commercial properties and boarding houses? Wayne Sharkey said it’s only for residential housing issues. Gary Evans explained that HUD has definitions for what is deemed residential versus commercial; and occupant use, such as a boarding houses may fall under commercial because the occupant use of the units are individualized. There could be multiple individuals in the unit that would be a commercial concept. Wayne Sharkey said that reporting and tracking population information is difficult due to the turnover that is common for those types of institutions. Les King asked that boarding houses currently would not fit into this. Wayne Sharkey said that currently no, the Rehab Review Committee has had those discussions regarding that type of property. The Rehab Review Committee discussions said it didn’t fit in to the overall goal of what the program. It’s not easily manageable and something that they simply didn’t just elect this program to cover. This is reviewed by the Rehab Review Committee and they have taken this up before. The RRC minutes will be forwarded to the CDAC members. Presently there is a waiting list for these funds that would complete next years funding because the demand is high. Les King questioned if they were still offering lead classes under the Lead Program? Wayne Sharkey said they’ve reached their benchmarks in terms of goals early but may do one or two more classes. Disabilities Network (DNEC) $11,700 – Brynn Hickey Brynn Hickey from DNEC is applying for funding to assist Norwich residents with building ramps, to have access to their homes. They do have monies to assist people with disabilities with buying railings and assisted devices to make their home accessible. There is a large need for ramps, which are above and beyond the $1,500 cap that they have from their Federal money they receive. The ramps range from $2,500 - $6,000 it depends on space, zoning, and the needs of the individual property. They work with homeowners; it is for the person who owns the home. They’ve worked also with landlords with their permission. Les King asked if most of the ramps were temporary metal ramps? Ms. Hickey said they tend to use the metal ramps because they’re cheaper, and come in 6’ and 10’ sections, and are easier to make the ramp how its needed. If the person moves or doesn’t need it any longer, they will exchange it for another consumer. Les King asked if they maintain ownership over the ramp? Ms. Hickey said no, the homeowner does so their insurance would be in effect. Demo Angelopoulos asked if they still work with wood ramps? Ms. Hickey said they do but they tend to be more expensive. Demo asked what would be a case that they would use wood ramps? Ms. Hickey said if it’s a homeowner planning on staying in their home. They’re more likely to do a wood ramp or if it’s complicated set-up or needs to be higher (whereas the metal ramps don’t go very high.) Ed Derr asked if they have criteria and how they are screened to meet requirements? Ms. Hickey said a need to have disability, through entire screening process. It includes income, if they have any other sources for assistance, maybe BRS might pay for a ramp if they’re trying to get to work. All the options need to be gone through and they would be the last resort. They try and pool agency money together, but it’s become very difficult. Ed Derr asked one of the outcomes says is more independent? Ms. Hickey said that yes being able to get in and out of their house more easily. Demo Angelopoulos asked how they came up with $11,700 was it for a specific number of ramps? Ms. Hickey said yes its for 3 ramps and they range from $2,500 - $6,000 and how complicated a ramp. The money they are requesting is only for the materials and labor involved. There is no overhead, no administrative costs, it only goes for the building of the ramps. Lynn Norris asked if they had an order of priority for the ramps? They go through the screening and the need. It’s first come first serve. Red McKeon asked about the liability and is it the homeowner’s issue? Ms. Hickey said yes. The homeowner maintains ownership of the ramp Otis Library - $8,700 – Bob Farwell Bob Farwell is requesting $8,700 for an educational program entitled the Civil War Youth Initiative, which focuses on young adults. The program focuses on arts, culture and music of the Civil War time period; fashion and clothing of the time period; textile conservation; and creative writing of the time period. This would introduce the youth to job paths using particular skills during the Civil War that could relate to jobs they would be eligible for such as design, art, and others. They are a first time applicant. Ed Derr said they are looking for 60 participants for at risk youths, and where do you get referrals? Mr. Farwell said some will come from Thames River Family Academy. They do have youths that have been identified at the library as regular patrons who they would like to offer this opportunity and some are volunteer work. Some have come through Norwich Free Academy part of their community service requirements for school and a couple of other related programs. Ed Derr asked about outcomes engage in employment internships and volunteer experiences? Mr. Farwell said some of them would be at the library and they also would be through their collaborating organizations such as the Norwich Historical Society and University of Rhode Island. Ed Derr also asked if they are going to do the personality inventory with the students? Mr. Farwell said yes. There are multiple facets to it. It’s not a program with a defining end and that it will contribute to be an ongoing relationship with the student to internships and other projects they could get involved in. Ed Derr asked how many employees does the library have. Mr. Farwell said they have 40 employees with the majority being Norwich residents. Les King asked under Section C 1B how it ties in with the 5 Year ConPlan? It needs to be clarified. Les King also asked about underrepresented youth. How do they determine they are underrepresented? Will they have to fill out an application to come into the class to prove they are underrepresented or coming from a low to moderate income? Mr. Farwell says that he hopes they have enough response so they would be able to interview students. It’s not as simple as coming in and wanting to be in it. They have to establish it’s a serious interest, and may be a competitive process. Les King said that this funding is for low to moderate income. How would they keep track for the end result. Mr. Farwell will submit a short paragraph on how they will determine that they are low to moderate income. . Les King questioned their application requesting $8,700 and the break down. Mr. Farwell said it is broken down into the categories that were on the budget. There were professional services for $2,700; Les King asked to elaborate on their budget. Les King asked if this program was going to tie in with the schools curriculum with Civil War. Mr. Farwell said that there seems to be some continuity and hopefully will reinforce everything they’re doing. Lynn Norris questioned low -mod poverty and those that can afford to pay. Mr. Farwell says it’s not an income-generating program. It’s free and focuses on those who would not have that opportunity. It’s open to them regardless of their financial status. They are not requiring those who could pay to pay. He doesn’t think that would represent the majority of the young adults applying for the program. It would not be the demographics survey of who uses the library. Most people that come to the library are not middle class; it’s heavily weighted towards minority groups and people without access to basic services like the internet. Recreation Dept. - $20,000 The Norwich Recreation Department didn’t appear at the Public Hearings. Gary Evans brought the committee up to date on their application and apologized that Lou DePina could not make it to the Public Hearing. If the committee had any questions they could be submitted to them in writing to the Recreation Dept. Ed Derr said that their outcomes focused on the parents and the scholarships are for the youth. They want outcomes for the youths, not the parents and what they’re gaining. Les King requested they’d like to see a budget sheet for the camp only, and how many children are enrolled, with income and expenses. How many are from Norwich versus from other towns. The scholarships were for 177 scholarships and they break it down $90 week per child. Does the child normally spend the entire 8 weeks going through the program? If the child goes through all 8 weeks total would be $720.00. Do children usually go through at the first week and go through the whole program; Lynn Norris asked if there is a 4 week session available, is there a waiting list to put a child in to fill a slot? Les King said once we are through with the Public Hearings until deliberations we cannot contact any of the applicants that have applied on any information on their specific applications. Motion was made by Demo Angelopoulos and seconded by Red McKeon to adjourn. All were in favor. The CDAC meeting ended at 6:05 p.m.