12 Tulsa Housing Authority sites to undergo renovations
BY MIKE AVERILL World Staff Writer
Thursday, February 14, 2013
2/14/13 at 5:04 AM
The Tulsa Housing Authority is planning $1.4 million in renovation projects at 12 of its public housing sites.
The agency's board is hoping to repair some properties that were built 50 years ago and others that are in need of repairs or energy-efficient improvements.
Funding for the projects would come from the authority's reserve fund. President and CEO Chea Redditt said the reserve money has accumulated since 1967, when the authority was formed.
"HUD funds us on a per-unit basis," she said. "That money covers administration and maintenance costs, and at the end of the year whatever is left over goes into the reserves."
In recent years, however, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has underfunded housing authorities that have reserve funding, forcing them spend that money, Redditt said.
After spending $1.4 million on renovations, the authority will have $3 million in reserves, minus what HUD forces them to spend on operating costs this year.
The projects are pending approval by the board during its Thursday meeting. Plans include:
- $309,425 for window and door replacements at LaFortune Tower.
- $283,059 for balcony railing modernization at Pioneer Plaza.
- $215,539 for the replacement of window air-conditioning units at Hewgley Terrace.
- $119,125 for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning work at East Central Village.
"Some of the work is original to the sites that were constructed in the 1960s and '70s," Redditt said. "That '60s- and '70s-era construction has really outlived its useful life."
The new balcony railing at Pioneer Plaza will place much stronger metal around the balconies.
"Thankfully we've never had anything happen," Redditt said. "With the age of the building, that's something we wanted to do."
Other projects are designed to make the units more energy efficient, including replacing 130 original window air-conditioning units at Hewgley Terrace, said Kent Keith, vice president of construction services.
There is also $153,611 for laundry facility renovations at Comanche Park, Apache Manor, Riverview Park, Parkview Terrace, South Haven Manor and East Central Village. The stand-alone laundry facilities were built in the late 1990s and haven't been updated since.
"Those are high-use areas, and it's time to upgrade them," Redditt said. "We'll have commercial washers and dryers that will be more energy efficient."
The authority has until March 31 to have each project under contract. Projects were chosen based on need and ability to meet that deadline.
All the projects should be completed by the end of the calendar year, Keith said.
"Our main point is to provide a family a quality house they can call a home and that the city can be proud of," Redditt said.
Mike Averill 918-581-8489
mike.averill@tulsaworld.com
