MINUTES
Willington Housing Authority
Monday, December 13 , 2016 – 6 p.m.
60 Old Farms Road – Senior Center
Willington, CT
Present: Chairman Robert Campbell, Vice Chairman Wilbur Gangaway, Secretary Don Berg, Treasurer Claudia D'Agata, Member Laurel Millix, Financial Consultant David Berto.
1. Call to order – 6:02 p.m.
2. Present to speak – opportunity for members of the public to speak
A resident of Willington Woods attended the meeting and said she is interested in living in the Button Hill apartments. R. Campbell told her that the Housing Authority has been keeping a list of potential tenants and when the management company comes on board, it will work with eligible tenants on the application process. Other residents also joined the meeting. Housing Authority members introduced themselves.
3. Old Business – Senior Housing “Button Hill”
D. Berto reported on the status of construction and the overall schedule. He also said the DOH-required wage rate certifications have been submitted with requisitions, with the exception of early December. Zlotnick Construction was notified by his office that these forms need to be submitted. When DOH approves the documents, it will disburse the funds. He noted DOH also requires the Housing Authority to review the documents and verify that they are in order and this has been done.
D. Berto said he's also waiting for an updated schedule from Zlotnick Construction to reflect the temporary halt of construction while contractors were awaiting payment.
D. Berto said his office is continuing to work on the Eversource easement. He said all necessary approvals have been received except for the Town; he said he's been told the First Selectman and the town attorney are still working on the Town approval. He said he's been communicating with the First Selectman and was told this would be given a higher priority, but he wasn't given a date by which it will be completed.
D. Berto said the architects are reviewing a couple of change orders. He also expects change orders related to providing winter heat in the buildings, as well as related to additional fill under the roadway, and possibly resulting from the updated schedule. He said there are still funds in the change order budget.
D. Berto said the attorneys are still working on final wording of the management contract with ACCESS. Once Zlotnick Construction submits its updated budget, the Housing Authority will know when ACCESS can begin its work.
There was discussion about the soil brought in to replace soil that didn't meet specifications. R. Campbell said Greg Zlotnick asked that this soil be tested, and that was to occur today. He said he anticipates the Housing Authority will be billed for the testing, but believes the bill should be submitted to Zlotnick Construction.
D. Berto asked if anyone from the Housing Authority was present when soil samples were taken for testing. R. Campbell said E. Peterson may have been present; he said he will contact Peterson.
R. Campbell said he has concerns about the testing lab, IMTL, and thinks it might be necessary to find another lab to complete the project. D. Berto said the testing lab needs to be independent and unbiased. R. Campbell said he is concerned that E. Peterson wasn't included on the distribution of the reports. He also noted that D. Berg noticed issues that the lab did not. D. Berto said this will be part of the discussion at Wednesday's job meeting.
D. Berto left the meeting at 6:18 p.m.
4. New Business – C. D'Agata moved to approve the meeting dates for 2017, L. Millix seconded the motion, there was no discussion, the motion passed unanimously. D. Berg said he will deliver the approved list of meeting dates to the Town Clerk.
A member of the public asked how the Button Hill apartments would be apportioned by income. R. Campbell said 5 units are earmarked for 50 percent of AMI (Adjusted Median Income), 10 units are for 60 percent of AMI, 5 units are for 80 percent of AMI, and 4 units are allocated for 100 percent of AMI. He said that the rental amounts have not been determined yet.
A member of the public asked if the apartments will include heat, hot water and electricity. R. Campbell said the heat (propane) will be covered by the Housing Authority. He said a decision hasn't been made whether electricity will be covered, but each unit will be independently metered. He also said there will be side-by-side washer/dryer hookups in each unit, but the Housing Authority isn't supplying washers or dryers.
A member of the public asked if the bathroom is located adjacent to the kitchen. R. Campbell said there are several different configurations and suggested she look at the floor plans that are on display.
A member of the public expressed concern about soundproofing between upper and lower level apartments. She said there have been conflicts between tenants at Willington Woods because of noise issues. R. Campbell said the insulation in the Button Hill buildings is of good quality. He added that all the units have wheelchair-accessible showers, no tubs.
A member of the public asked if there has been interest in the new apartments. C. D'Agata said there are currently 23 people on the list of interested potential tenants. R. Campbell said the Housing Authority has to abide by income guidelines because the Housing Authority is providing the rental subsidies, not the state or federal government.
A member of the public asked when the project will be complete. R. Campbell said work is currently progressing on schedule and could be done by June or July 2017.
A member of the public asked when heavy machinery will be gone. R. Campbell said there will be work to be done on the road and parking lot.
A member of the public asked if the water system will be shared between Willington Woods and Button Hill; R. Campbell said it will. She asked if there are concerns about loss of water pressure. R. Campbell said that when the Town installed the water system, it was with the intention of serving additional housing, as was the septic system.
5. Correspondence – None.
6. Approval of minutes – Don moved to approve the minutes of September 21, 2016 as presented; W. Gangaway seconded the motion; motion passed unanimously.
7. Treasurer’s report – C. D'Agata reported a balance of $2,020.09.
8. Adjourn – The meeting adjourned at 6:48 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Brenda Sullivan, Recording Secretary.
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