Funding for projects yields local employment, upgraded housing

By Chris Rooney

Published: Wednesday, July 20, 2011 12:48 PM PDT

The Marin Housing Authority has recently completed work on a housing complex for low-income seniors in Mill Valley. Now it’s turning its attention to revamping public housing structures in Marin City.

Buoyed by government funds, the MHA is able to employ local workers while also benefiting housing projects in dire need of repair.

MHA Executive Director Dan Nackerman said some of the funding came automatically from President Barack Obama’s stimulus, but that Marin County competes for other grants and resources. “The Marin Housing Authority gets more [approved funding] than most of the other housing authorities in Northern California,” he said. Part of the reason is the county’s reputation for efficiently using whatever funds it receives.

The project just completed is at Kruger Pines, a three-story, 56-unit rental complex for low-income seniors and people with disabilities in Mill Valley. The roof was replaced, as were many windows and sliding doors. The parking lot was also reconfigured, a benefit to all Mill Valley residents. Nackerman said the project would help Kruger Pines “last another 50 years”: “We are delighted that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds that we secured have put at least 26 local construction and tradespeople to work on this development, making the 56 homes of low-income seniors and members of the disabled community safer, more energy efficient, and a better place to live.”

The building’s exterior has been clad in new siding and completely repainted. The ARRA funds also supported long-deferred site work, including the addition of sprinklers and fire alarm upgrades, the rebuilding of retaining walls, the fixing of drainage issues, parking lot repairs, lighting improvements, and the installation of drought-resistant landscaping using drip irrigation. Kruger Pines opened in 1971 and is now home to 64 residents.

In a statement, Rep. Lynn Woolsey said: “Funding from the Recovery Act is making a positive difference in our communities during these turbulent economic times, and the Kruger Pines project is the perfect example. I am proud that federal dollars will allow the Marin Housing Authority to ensure the availability of affordable assisted housing and support services for seniors and persons with disabilities. Projects like these show that with smart and targeted federal investments, we can strengthen our economy and improve the lives of working families.”

The MHA’s next project is an upgrade to government-subsidized housing in Marin City.

Marianne Lim, senior project manager for MHA, said the project entails “major sewer work” that will help prevent backups.

With an additional $2.5 million in ARRA funding won in competitive proposals from the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development, MHA has embarked on an effort to stabilize and secure the viability of its aging housing. With this funding, local workers will be remodeling kitchens and improving energy efficiency and environmental air quality at MHA’s Golden Gate Village apartment community in Marin City. This work will include accessibility improvements at 17 apartment homes and common community spaces to increase residents’ ability to “age in place.”

HUD Regional Administrator Ophelia Basgal said in a press statement: “The goal of the Recovery Act (ARRA) was to help stimulate the economy, generate new green tech jobs, and to improve overall energy efficiency. MHA is taking advantage of ARRA to do exactly that. Northern California has always been a leader in the advancement of green technology. I am pleased that MHA has taken advantage of the $2.5 million in ARRA funding through HUD to continue to provide their residents at Kruger Pines with safe, comfortable and energy-efficient upgraded housing.”

“Clearly, one of Obama’s goals was to stimulate employment,” Nackerman said. This project, he said, would do just that.

Nackerman pointed to the “three E’s” of stewardship: enhancement of living conditions, energy-efficiency and employment of people to get the work done.

As part of MHA’s ongoing Energy Improvement Initiative, a comprehensive energy retrofit is being planned at all of the agency’s 10 affordable apartment communities. A nationally recognized leader in energy efficiency, Johnson Controls Inc. has recently completed its energy audit of MHA apartment communities to determine energy and water consumption savings and improve energy efficiency for years to come.

Lim pointed out that the Marin City structures date back to the 1960s and are “very dated.” Nackerman said the upcoming work would “help extend the life of these properties.”

Source: http://marinscope.com/articles/2011/07/20/mill_valley_herald/news/doc4e272c90aee6b409174824.txt