Work on the new “green” public housing development on Division Street, called Village Green, is still slated to be complete by the end of August. (Doug Walker, RN-T.com)
Sandra Hudson
Plans call for the authority to rebuild 35 homes on that site. The Altoview Terrace homes are 70 years old.
Demolition of the old Fairgrounds development on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in North Rome is currently under way.
NWGHA Technical Services Director Steve Chumley reported that a new 10-unit green housing development, Village Green, on Division Street is 65-percent complete and should be finished by the end of August.
Renovation of units in the Willingham Village development in West Rome is also moving forward with about half of the interior framing work finished. Chumley did not provide the authority with an idea as to when that project would be completed.
Chumley also reported that new roofing has been completed on hail damaged properties in the Main High complex in North Rome.
Hudson also briefed board members about the rejection of two grant applications.
The $16 million HOPE VI application to revitalize the maple Street corridor in East Rome was not awarded, and an application to receive Moving to Work designation had also been turned down by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Moving to Work is a program for public housing agencies to test locally-designed strategies to use federal dollars more efficiently, help residents find employment and become self-sufficient, and increase housing choices for low-income families.
At one point, Hudson felt like the local authority would try to submit an application for a Choice Neighborhood program, however consultant Stan Harvey said there were not enough foreclosures in Rome to win a grant through that program either.
The Choice neighborhood initiative is designed to turn distressed communities and public housing units into sustainable mixed-income neighborhoods by connecting housing improvements with enhanced services, schools, transportation and jobs.
Hudson said the authority is still getting close to 200 applications of public housing each month and that the current waiting list contains more than 1,000 names. “There are very few people moving out, very few people that are abandoning property,” Hudson said.
WHAT!!?? These buildings on MLK were just renovated a few years ago and I'm sure it wasn't done for free! Why would they spend the money to renovate and then in less than 5 years tear them down??!!
Altoview Terrace: Demolishing 95 units and replacing with 35 units and the current waiting list contains more than 1000 names. Hmmmm...what's wrong with this picture??!!
90 percent of the people living there are unemployable in this job market. Minimum wage job skills just don't cut it when middle aged and older people with a great work ethic and some brain power are filling any and all jobs including the low skill jobs. It looks like another minus for Georgia Northwestern too. No more money to bus them over there to their taxpayer funded classes that will no longer by taxpayer funded when the B average requirement kicks in.