Willington Housing Authority
60 Old Farms Road
December 10, 2012 Meeting Minutes
Present – Claudia D’Agata, Don Berg, Wilbur Gangaway, Laurel Millex, Recording Secretary Brenda Sullivan; financial consultant David Berto. Absent: WHA Chairman Robert Campbell
Call to Order – W. Gangaway called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m.
Present to Speak – No members of the public were present to speak.
Old Business – Button Hill Senior Housing project
D. Berto said he sent an email to First Selectman C. Mailhos asking for an official response as to how much money is available for construction. When that figure is available, then E. Peterson will go ahead with administering bids, and L. Wagner can estimate how much work can be done. So, WHA should be able to go ahead with work in the spring.
D. Berto said the WHA still needs the tax assessment agreement done. He will talk to Atty. Scaramossa about drafting both that and the lease agreement documents for the town’s review – the town would just need to verify the numbers are correct.
D. Berto said that at the same time, he can be working on finding a lending institution for the Federal Home Loan application (in the Indianapolis region). He said he spoke with someone at the Federal Home Loan offices (on Dec. 10) and she was very helpful. She told him that usually banks will work with local projects but they might still work with an out-of-state project like the WHA’s because it fits in with their priorities (regarding affordable housing projects). She also suggested looking at insurance agencies because most of them are national companies, i.e. AAA Insurance, Anthem, Lincoln National Life Insurance.
C. D’Agata asked if insurance companies lend money.
D. Berto said they can lend construction funds, but if you ask for just the Federal Home Loan grant – which goes to the project – the insurance company is just the “pass through.” He said he needs to look at the point structure; it might be necessary to also apply for a short term loan to earn points.
W. Gangaway asked if D. Berto had looked into Citizen’s Bank, which is a national bank with regional headquarters in Rhode Island. D. Berto said the one in the Indianapolis area may not be the same “Citizens Bank.” He said he has contacts in Flint, Michigan and he will follow up with them on this suggestion.
D. Berg asked if the WHA asks for a specific amount of funds or does the Federal Home Loan office offer a specific amount?
D. Berto said WHA makes a request based on pricing.
D. Berg asked what happens if they offer less than what the WHA needs?
D. Berto said, usually a developer says, we need this much money or there’s no project. And so, Federal Home Loan usually says “yes” or “no” to the full amount.
W. Gangaway asked if Federal Home Loan has figures against which to compare the ones presented in an application (i.e. costs). D. Berto said they do, and that they look at how efficiently you are spending the money. If they think you are “blowing smoke” – i.e., a developer claiming they can build a project at an unrealistically low price - they will deduct points from your application. However, he said, he expects the WHA to have solid numbers that will satisfy the Federal Home Loan application reviewers.
New Business – Approval of 2013 WHA meeting dates
C. D’Agata moved to accept the 2013 WHA meeting dates prepared by D. Berg. L. Millex seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously. C. D’Agata said she would forward them to the Town Clerk.
The 2013 WHA meeting dates are (all are on Monday at 6 p.m.):
January 14, 2013
February 11
March 11
April 8
May 13
June 10
July 8
August 12
September 9
October 21 (moved because of Columbus Day holiday)
November 18 (moved because of Veterans Day holiday)
December 9
David Berto was excused from the rest of meeting.
There was then a brief discussion about the bidding process. L. Millex asked if the WHA has to accept the lowest bids. D. Berg said he believes the WHA has to accept the lowest “qualified” bids. There was discussion about RFPs/RFQs and how they work. C. D’Agata also noted that a background check is conducted on a bidder’s previous jobs, including determining whether the bidder has any outstanding legal issues. W. Gangaway said the architect and D. Berto collaborate on the RFP/RFQ for the main contractor.
Approval of Minutes –
C. D’Agata moved, and D. Berg seconded the motion to accept the November 19, 2012 minutes; the motion passed unanimously.
Treasurer’s Report –
C. D’Agata submitted the Treasurer’s report and stated the only expenditure was $53.83 for secretarial services, which leaves a balance of $3,765.05. L. Millex made a motion to accept the report, which was seconded by D. Berg and the motion passed unanimously.
Correspondence – None.
Adjournment – C. D’Agata moved to adjourn, L. Millex seconded the motion and the WHA voted to adjourned at 6:47 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Brenda Sullivan, WHA Recording Secretary
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