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Boscobel Housing Authority receives Top Performer Award
Feds recognize superior performance
Housing Authority
THE BOSCOBEL HOUSING AUTHORITY has made significant strides since a managerial and maintenance shakeup two years ago. Staff members are pictured in the Gazebo Apartments new community garden with the High Performer Award they recently received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. They include, from left, Tom Waltz, maintenance director; Kelly Trumm, executive director; Kathy Hall, tenant services coordinator; and Doyle Lewis, Briarwood maintenance.

By DAVID KRIER

Two years after a major shakeup in its management and maintenance positions, things are looking up for the Boscobel Housing Authority. They recently received a High Performer Award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for scoring 92 out of 100 on their Public Housing Assessment System score.

“This scoring is based on our physical building conditions and maintenance, our financial management and our occupancy and unit turn around rates,” said Executive Director Kelly Trumm.

“We’re just trying to turn the corner and make some positive improvements to our facilities,” added Maintenance Director Tom Waltz. “We’ve recently constructed a raised bed community garden for our residents, who are working in the garden and growing their own food. They’re doing most of the work like planting and weeding, which is great for us and great for our residents.”

Trumm has been busy since replacing Nancy Roth as the Housing Authority’s  executive director in the spring of 2013. She has drafted a new lease, applications, admissions and numerous other policies and procedures. In addition, the Housing Authority now has a Resident Advisory Board, a Five-Year Plan through 2019 and a group health plan for employees. For the past two years the Housing Authority has had a 98 percent occupancy rate.

Work order turn around time has decreased significantly since Waltz was hired two years ago. In addition, there have been numerous improvements made at the 20-unit Gazebo Apartments and 26 other housing units scattered throughout the city, including:

• A new fire alarm system with live monitoring;

• Energy efficient furnaces and water heaters in all scattered sites;

• The installation or construction of four new roofs, 13 furnaces, 17 water heaters, four central air units and new flooring in nine units.

The Authority is currently soliciting bids for a new sidewalk project that will wrap around the Gazebo building to the back and join the existing Sanders Creek Walkway.

There have also been numerous improvements at the Briarwood Apartments on West Bluff Street. Handicap accessibility issues have been addressed, interior common areas have a fresh coat of paint and work on the parking lot will be going out for bids soon.