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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-05-05 EHA MINUTES• • • I. CALL TO ORDER ENGLEWOOD HOUSING AUTHORITY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Regular Meeting May 5, 2004 The Regular Meeting of the Englewood Housing Authority Board of Commissioners was called to order at 4:42 p.m. on Wednesday, May 5, 2004 , at 3460 South Sherman Street, Suite 101, Englewood, Colorado, 80113, by Vice Chair Norleen Norden . II. ROLL CALL Members Present: Members Absent: Also Present: III. STUDY SESSION Nothing presented. IV. MINUTES Norleen Norden, Vice Chair Don Bobeda, Commissioner Ed Sanborn, Commissioner Shelley Thompson, Commissioner Beverly Bradshaw, Ex Officio Debi Medlock, Chair Dawn Shepherd, Executive Director Jo Hamit, Administrative Manager Dean Rohr, Operations Manager Geula Sherman, Financial Services Manager Cathy Creecy, FSS Graduate Virginia Maestas, FSS Graduate Marty Mosman, FSS Coordinator A. Regular Meeting held April 7, 2004 . • • • EHA BOC Regular Meeting 05-05-04 V. MOTION COMMISSIONER THOMPSON MOVED TO ACCEPT AND APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE ENGLEWOOD HOUSING AUTHORITY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS HELD APRIL 7, 2004 AS WRITTEN. COMMISSIONER SANBORN SECONDED THE MOTION. Ayes: Nays : Abstained: Absent: Bobeda, Norden, Sanborn, Thompson None None Medlock The Chairman declared the motion carried. PRESCHEDULED VISITORS Cathy Creecy and Virginia Maestas, graduates of the Family Self-sufficiency (PSS) Program were present. Vice Chair Norden welcomed them and congratulated them on their completion of the program. F/S/M Sherman introduced Marty Mosman, PSS Coordinator, who provided a brief background on each graduate, their families and their accomplishments . Each participant was presented with a certificate and a check in the amount of their respective escrow accounts. Following the recognition ceremony, Ms. Mosman gave a presentation on the history of the PSS Program and its current status . She said that of the 35 participants in the program , 23 are working full-time or part-time. The remaining 12 participants are either new, have lost employment or are in the process of searching for employment. The average hourly wage of participants is $10.63. Ms. Mosman said that , although she does conduct groups workshops, she primarily counsels participants on a one-on-one basis. She works with participants on acquiring work skills and credentials, as well as personal skills necessary in securing employment. Once they start working, the difference between their previous rent and their new rent goes into an escrow account that is maintained until they complete the program. They must complete the program to receive the escrow amount. The criteria for completing the program is that the individual must have held their job for at least one year and have a sufficient income for self-sufficiency, and must have not been on any welfare or food stamps program . She said that since the program started, she has worked with 113 individuals, 30 of whom have completed the program and 57 of whom have received their GEDs. She pointed out that many of the participants don't complete the program because they move. Sometimes they will get absorbed into another PSS program and are able to continue on, but if the agency to which they move does not have a program, they will forfeit their escrow . The board thanked Ms . Mosman for her presentation . 2 EHA BOC Regular Meeting 05-05-04 • VI. DIRECTOR'S REPORT • • A. Narrative Report 1. Orchard Place 0/M Rohr reported that hallway and common area carpeting is scheduled to be installed following the installation at Simon Center, most likely during the last week in May. Staff is planning some major landscaping efforts along the parking lot area on the Girard side. John Stone, former housing authority employee who retired several years ago, has agreed to assist us with landscaping and grounds keeping during the summer. 2. Simon Center 0/M Rohr reported that installation of carpeting in the hallways and common areas is scheduled to begin during the second or third week of May. The project will be complete by June 1. Commissioner Bradshaw asked if there would be any problems with the odor. 0/M Rohr stated that the installation involves a glue-down, and the odor should not be a problem. Commissioner Bobeda remarked that an ionizer or breeze machine could be helpful to mitigate odors. He said it might be worthwhile to consider purchasing one. Staff also is planning to install new hallway lighting that will lighten up the hallways considerably. 0/M Rohr also reported that the oversized mailboxes have been moved from the lobby to the hallway wall, and the lobby looks much better. 3. Public Housing Duplexes Outside lighting has been installed on all duplex buildings. The lights are photocells, which are off during the day and automatically come on at night, and they also have a sensitive motion-detector. 4. Waiting List Nothing new to report. 5. Section 8 Existing Program Nothing new to report. 6. Normandy Apartments 0/M Rohr reported that a glitch was encountered when trying to move the mailboxes from the breezeway to the lobby area. The wall where to mailboxes were to be relocated had solar hot water tanks directly behind it, and the liquid inside required testing before the tanks could be removed. He said that the liquid in the tanks is probably just water, 3 • • • EHA BOC Regular Meeting 05-05-04 but it needs to be tested nonetheless. The testing should be complete in the next several weeks, and this will delay the mailbox installation. The remainder of the remodeling work is moving along on schedule. 7. Off-site Properties 0/M Rohr reported that rehabilitation work on the property at 3531 South Pennsylvania is nearly complete and will be ready for lease-up in the next several weeks. Staff is working on spring clean-up and landscaping efforts on all off-site properties over the next month. Commissioner Bobeda stated that there is currently a concern in the housing industry regarding radon levels. He suggested that we test our properties accordingly. There are kits available that are relatively inexpensive. 0/M Rohr suggested that CIR.SA, the agency's worker's compensation insurance provider, may be able to assist us with this task. 8. Administrative Noting new to report. 9. Agency Goals and Strategic Plan Vice Chair Norden said that, in the interest of time, a discussion of Agency Goal #2 will be postponed until the June 2 meeting. B. Financial Reports Vice Chair Norden requested that staff provide a spreadsheet that depicts cash on hand and where it is located. F/S/M Sherman said that the information is being tracked, and such a report is no problem to produce. She said she will include it with next month's financial reports. C. Program Reports F/S/M Sherman said that the lease-up numbers for the Section 8 program reflect the 21 portable vouchers being absorbed by the Denver Housing Authority at the end of March. Commissioner Bobeda asked about lease-up activity at the Normandy. EID Shepherd said that staff has had some interest, and she expects interest to increase when the units are rehabilitated and the lobby remodeling is complete. She also stated that landscaping efforts will help as wen: VII. DISCUSSION ITEMS, MOTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS A. Approval of Contract with Professional Assessment and Management Services (P AMS) to provide Rental Integrity Monitoring (RIM) Self Assessment 4 • • • EHA BOC Regular Meeting 05-05-04 EID Shepherd explained that HUD has been conducting reviews of public housing and Section 8 participant files for all housing authorities nationwide to determine if rent calculations are being conducted properly. Staff has found some problems with the files and wishes to determine how widespread the problems might be. The consulting firm being considered to conduct the self-assessment, P AMS, is very experienced in the area. MOTION COMMISSIONER BOBEDA MOVED THAT RESOLUTION NO. 3, SERIES 2004, AUTHORIZING A CONTRACT WITH PROFESSIONAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR SELF-ASSESSMENT OF SECTION 8 AND PUBLIC HOUSING RENTAL CALCULATIONS AND PARTICIPANT FILES BE APPROVED. COMMISSIONER THOMPSON SECONDED THE . . MOTION. Ayes: Nays: Bobeda, Norden, Sanborn, Thompson None Abstained: None Absent: Medlock The Chairman declared the motion carried . B. Amendment to Employee Handbook EID Shepherd explained that what prompted staff to examine and ultimately request amendment to the Conflict of Interest section of the employee handbook was the discovery that a staff member made a gift to a client. There was a brief discussion of the proposed amendments. It was determined that the amendments needed further clarification. EID Shepherd said she would consult further with EHA's legal counsel and bring the proposed amendment back to the Board in June. VIII. INFORMATION AGENDA A. Visuals of outdoor lighting on the duplex units were noted. IX. GENERAL DISCUSSION A. Commissioner's Choice Commissioner Sanborn mentioned that landscaping plans at Simon Center are a good idea, and he thanked Dawn for taking care of it. EID Shepherd said that she has spoken 5 • • • EHA BOC Regular Meeting 05-05-04 with representatives of the CSU Master Gardener program to inquire as to whether or not the EHA can be a master gardener site . Commissioner Bobeda said he checked into the national lease-to-own program. He met with representatives of the local office who explained the program. Participants received one-half of their payments back at the end of the year to use as a down payment toward purchasing the house they occupy. The program is designed for individuals and families who are working and have fairly good jobs. Commissioner Bobeda said he also met with representatives of the Community Housing Resource Board, which is the group that provided a training/orientation program for landlords at the Lakewood Housing Authority. The cost was $39.00 per landlord. He said that the EHA should consider utilizing this service for landlord retention . The group also provides information on fair housing issues and homeownership programs. Commissioner Thompson said she is planning on attending a NAHRO conference on May 21. She said she appreciated having Marty here to explain the FSS Program, and she appreciates everyone else's help in getting her up to speed. B. Director's Choice EID Shepherd reported that the EHDC has hired a part-time executive director. They have changed their name so that it is now simply EHDC and the name does not stand for anything. They are interested in selling all of their properties, and asked if the housing authority would be interested in a duplex at 2910-12 South Bannock Street, and possibly several other properties. Commissioner Norden briefed the Board on the history of the EHDC and why and how it was formed. She said their mission continues to be to provide affordable housing, but they are interested in broadening their boundaries to be outside of Englewood. They want to start their own portfolio of properties, and are looking at multi-family properties. Commissioner Norden asked EID Shepherd to contact Sam Desiado regarding homeownship programs. He is very knowledgeable about the subject. EID Shepherd reported that she has been contact by a realtor who owns several properties in the 3600 block of South Galapago. It is a short block with five structures and a large corner vacant lot. She is looking into the possibility of acquiring the properties for a residential development. Commissioner Bobeda said the area is zoned R-4, which is Residential/Professional and affords many options. EID Shepherd asked if the Board wants her to pursue the acquisition. There was a general consensus for staff to investigate further a possible partnership for development. EID Shepherd said she will meet with representatives of the South Metro Board of Realtors who are interested in building a Habitat for Humanity home. They are interested in any property they might obtain, and she thought that the South Grant Street property might be a consideration. EID Shepherd stated that she suggested they would need to build a structure that is more upgraded than their usual plan . 6 '-EHA BOC Regular Meeting 05-05-04 • C. City Council Communication Commissioner Bradshaw said that the Englewood Education Foundation is selling restaurant discount cards. Anyone who is interested can let her know and she will get them . Commissioner Bradshaw distributed flyers for the 25th birthday party of the South Suburban Park Foundation on May 15 at Noon. She also mentioned that the flyers were designed by the Arapahoe Community College Graphic Design department. Commissioner Bradshaw also thanked EID Shepherd and the staff for being so responsive. X. EXECUTIVE SESSION Commissioner Bobeda moved and Commissioner Thompson seconded that the Board adjourn to Executive Session to discuss two personnel matters. XI. ADJOURNMENT MOTION • . COMMISSIONER SANBORN MOVED TO ADJOURN THE REGULAR MEETING OF • THE ENGLEWOOD HOUSING AUTHORITY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS HELD MAY 5, 2004 AT 8:07 P.M. COMMISSIONER THOMPSON SECONDED THE MOTION . THE MOTION CARRIED. ~,O\.~ )1A:,,(~ Norleen Norden, Vice Chair 7