Thursday, April 24, 2014

Winchester awarded $500,000 grant for housing

By Meghan Foley Sentinel Staff


WINCHESTER — A project to preserve affordable housing in town just got a boost from a federal grant.
The N.H. Community Development Finance Authority announced Tuesday that Winchester will receive a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant to help Southwestern Community Services of Keene acquire and improve 15 duplexes that make up the Wedgewood housing complex.

Southwestern Community Services, a nonprofit organization that develops much of the Monadnock Region’s low-income housing, is proposing a roughly $6 million project to rebuild the 1970s development owned by the Keene Housing Authority.

The housing authority is working with Southwestern on the project; once it’s completed, the development will be sold to Southwestern and renamed Woodcrest, Keith F. Thibault, chief development officer for Southwestern Community Services, said in August 2013.

The duplexes will be replaced with new two- and six-unit buildings, which will house 30 families.
Southwestern hopes to begin construction, which is expected to take about 18 months, this spring, Thibault said in August. Most of the development’s residents will have to be temporarily relocated during the construction, he said.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why are homes built in the "70's" needing to be rebuilt??

Anonymous said...

Because the contractors did a crappy job and they are NOT up to code at this point. And who is to guarantee that they won't do a crappy job again this time. Our code enforcement doesn't have a clue about construction standards - and this is a prime example.

Anonymous said...

Todays Sentinel has a change of plans on this project and it still stinks.

another fiasco on the rise said...

I have to wonder how an organization such as SWCS would rely on the inexperience and total lack of formal training of our so-called Code Enforcement Officer to oversee this project. At least Leroy was certified and took training courses to keep up to date, what's Sharra's pedigree other than being a cohort of the Selectmen who appointed her?
Guess it doesn't matter much, she rubber stamps every project in this town as long as the applicant plays ball with her. Can't help but wonder how much of that $500K grant will end up someplace else.

Anonymous said...

They should name it 'Sharra's Folly'.

Anonymous said...

We have got to keep our subsidized housing up dated because we cant have our coded kids living in anything but the best. I know that statement will piss off a ton of people but that's a big part of our school budget and with subsidized housing we are just saying WELCOME.

Anonymous said...

Coleen Duquette will be happy, gives her more places to put all the special ed kids she places in town. Can you see how much the school will be asking budget wise in the near future?