Housing Authority

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE NORWICH HOUSING AUTHORITY HELD WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 2017 The Board of Commissioners (“Board”) of the Norwich Housing Authority (“Authority”) met in regular session at the main office of the Norwich Housing Authority, 10 Westwood Park, Norwich, Connecticut, at 4:30 PM, Wednesday, July 12, 2017. I. Roll Call Chairman Baillargeon called the meeting to order at 4:30 PM and the following answered present: Marion Rucker Wilma Sullivan Paul Gauthier Hector Baillargeon Alice Cunningham was excused. Also present was Charles C. Whitty, Executive Director. II. Minutes A. Mr. Rucker moved and Ms. Sullivan seconded the motion to adopt the minutes of the regular meeting held on June 14, 2017. Motion carried unanimously. III. Communications A. Letter dated May 8, 2017 from Sharon A. Pray, President, SHP Management Corporation to Geralyn A. Prescott, Multifamily Operations Officer IV, Connecticut Housing Finance Authority regarding Village Court Apartments. Mr. Whitty reviewed with the Board the request by Mechanic Street Limited Partnership for early termination of the existing HAP contract and the request to enter into a new Mark Up to Market Contract. Ms. Sullivan moved and Mr. Gauthier seconded the motion to receive the communication. Motion carried unanimously. Ms. Sullivan moved and Mr. Gauthier seconded the motion to suspend the rules to receive an e-mail dated July 12, 2017 from Samuel Tuffour, Program Manager, HUD Physical Assessment Sub-system (PASS) regarding the Authority’s appeal of its June 7, 2017 Physical Inspection score. Motion carried unanimously. Mr. Whitty and Mr. Mainville reviewed the communication with the Board. HUD’s Quality Control (QC) PASS inspection took place on June 7, 2017 and resulted in a score of 87.96. The Authority appealed the results. HUD accepted the aforesaid appeal and adjusted the PASS score to 93.53. Ms. Sullivan moved and Mr. Gauthier seconded the motion to receive the communication. Motion carried unanimously. Minutes of the Norwich Housing Authority – July 12, 2017 page 2 IV. Committee Reports A. The Homeownership Committee did not meet. B. Rent Review Committee did not meet. V. Report of the Executive Director A. Bills – Ms. Sullivan moved and Mr. Gauthier seconded the motion to approve the bills for June, 2017. Motion carried unanimously. B. Vacancy Reports – Mr. Whitty noted that the Authority had 16 vacancies as of July 1, 2017. He observed that the State Elderly vacancies will continue to be difficult to fill due to the discontinuance of the State Elderly Rental Assistance Program funding. Because of the difficulty in filling the State Elderly units, the Authority will be exploring the possibility of using Project Based Vouchers in its State Elderly developments. Ms. Sullivan moved and Mr. Gauthier seconded the motion to receive the July 1, 2017 report. Motion carried unanimously. Ms. Sullivan moved and Mr. Rucker seconded the motion to suspend the rules to receive the July 12, 2017 Modernization Report. Motion carried unanimously. C. Modernization Report - John Mainville, Modernization Coordinator, prepared the report. Mr. Whitty and Mr. Mainville reviewed the same with the Board. The Oakwood Knoll Roof Replacement Project is on-going with five (5) of the fourteen (14) roofs completed by JD & D Construction. Capital Studio Architects is working on plans and specifications for a roof replacement project at Hillside Terrace, a State Moderate development. This project is scheduled to be completed in phases with the first phase to be bid in August. The Authority received an Assistance Agreement from the State of Connecticut Department of Housing for planning preconstruction capital improvements at its state elderly developments. The Authority applied again on April 26, 2017 for two separate grants for interior and exterior renovations at Eastwood Court and Schwartz Manor. The Authority was also awarded a predevelopment grant for Sunset Park. Capital Studio Architects is developing plans and specifications for the Sunset Park interior and exterior renovation project and Eagle Environmental has been conducting preliminary testing. Another meeting with the residents will be held tonight. A draft of the Resident Participation Plan will be discussed and the architect will review preliminary plans with the residents of Sunset Park. Mr. Gauthier moved and Mr. Rucker seconded the motion to receive the report. Motion carried unanimously. D. Section 8 Voucher Portfolio Reports - As of July 1, 2017, the total portfolio was 499 Housing Choice Vouchers. Mr. Rucker moved and Mr. Gauthier seconded the motion to receive the report. Motion carried unanimously. E. Other Items – None. Minutes of the Norwich Housing Authority – July 12, 2017 page 3 VI. Unfinished Business There was no unfinished business to discuss. VII. New Business A. Mr. Rucker moved to adopt Resolution R-17-07-1362 to enter into agreements with Mechanic Street Limited Partnership and HUD regarding Village Court Apartments. Ms. Sullivan seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Ayes – Rucker, Sullivan, Gauthier, Baillargeon Nays - None Motion carried unanimously. B. Commission Members – There was no comment. C. Community Portion of Meeting – There was no comment. D. Other – None. VIII. Executive Session No Executive Session was held. IX. Adjournment There being no further business to discuss, Ms. Sullivan moved and Mr. Rucker seconded the motion that the meeting be adjourned. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 5:05 PM. Respectfully submitted, Charles C. Whitty Executive Director Minutes approved on August 9, 2017 Hector R. Baillargeon Chairman