Authority receives approval to demolish 255 housing units
The Fayette County Housing Authority has received federal approval to demolish 255 housing units in an ambitious makeover plan designed to make public housing properties more appealing while paring a unit surplus. Executive Director Thomas L. Harkless said Tuesday that the Special Applications Center of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, located in Chicago, approved the authority’s demolition application Monday.
“That is good news,” said Harkless, who noted that the five-year plan calls for demolishing 106 units in Bierer Wood Acres, 75 units in Lemon Wood Acres, 69 units in Dunlap Creek Village and five units in Snowden Terrace.
In his monthly report to the board, Harkless noted that the authority currently has 391 vacancies, which is a 23 percent vacancy rate.
In a related move, the authority board was informed that Stephanie King, former executive director of the Uniontown Redevelopment Authority, was awarded a $6,800 contract under small purchases to develop a formal relocation plan for tenants affected by the makeover. The authority obtained three price quotes and King’s was the lowest.
On another matter, the board discussed Harkless’ plan to pay Belle Vernon Borough police $7,500 per year to make four patrols per day through the 150-unit Belle Vernon Apartments senior citizen high-rise.
Board Chairman Kenneth L. Johnson initially said he was not satisfied with the price, which he thought was high and could be renegotiated to a more reasonable figure. Johnson also questioned why extra police patrols were needed in a single building that is not located in a drug-infested area like some other properties operated by the authority.
“How much crime do we have in that area?” asked Johnson, to which Harkless replied, “We have very little crime (there).” Harkless added, however, that the authority has already signed contracts for extra patrols in all other areas that have interested police departments.
As the discussion unfolded, Johnson said that he favors trying to get a lower price only if it would result in the same quality of service. For example, he said that if the police decided to patrol only two floors of the four-story building with the lower stipend, he didn’t think that was a good move.
Johnson then changed his mind and supported the measure, but added that he thinks security-related matters should be discussed in executive session in the future.
“From now on, when we talk about security, I prefer that we go into executive session,” said Johnson, noting that he doesn’t want to provide information that could be useful to would-be criminals.
In other matters handled Tuesday:
? Opened the deputy executive director position, a move opposed by board member Angela M. Zimmerlink. The person hired would be a clear number two in command to Harkless.
??Hired registered nurse Carmen Jenkins of Uniontown as a part-time permanent worker in the adult day care wing of Services to Senior Citizens, at a pay rate of $16 per hour.
? Rejected all three bids on a contract for tenant moving services. Department head Dennis Barclay said that a problem arose when one of the vendors informed the authority that the firm hired must be licensed by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
“We are doing something that we’ve never done before, which is permanently move tenants,” said Barclay. “This has never happened before, so it wasn’t in the (bid) specs.”
??Heard from Harkless that the authority has received a $500,000 grant from HUD that will try to place 50 public housing families into home ownership. The three-year program will include as partners Community Action Agency of Fayette County Inc., Penn State Fayette Campus and Goodwill Industries, Harkless said.
??Voted 3-1, with Zimmerlink in opposition, to pay $10,100 as dues to the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, a lobbying group. Harkless said that size-wise, the FCHA is in the top 100 of the 3,400 public housing authorities in the United States.
“This is the only national organization that deals with large housing authorities,” said Harkless. “We are in the top 100. We are considered a large housing authority.”
Johnson said he supported the dues because lobbying is important, particularly considering the Bush administration’s aim of trying to do away with public housing. “Enron can afford to have somebody lobby for them, whereas somebody in Lemon Wood Acres can’t,” said Johnson. “If we don’t have any representation, we’re going to lose.”
??Again tabled a vote on accepting a salary comparability study, job descriptions and an employee performance appraisal form, as prepared by consultant Peter R. Johnson & Co. Ken Johnson voted against tabling the matter, noting, ” I can’t see holding things up.”
But Zimmerlink and board members Beverly Beal and Nancy Sutton voted to table the matter. Beal said she has “a lot of questions on this,” including concerns that lower-paid employees aren’t getting enough in the deal and that the proposed job descriptions may conflict with civil service job descriptions.
Harkless said that the authority’s employee performance appraisal form would be an attachment to the one used by civil service, which is done elsewhere and shouldn’t present a problem.
??Awarded a $15,855 adult day care program liability insurance contract to Evanston Insurance, the only company out of 14 contacted that would provide a price quote, according to Harkless. Solicitor John Purcell said that this is an area where “liability has exploded” in the form of several large jury awards, which makes companies reluctant to write new policies.