As readers may be aware, I have spent the past few days reporting on circumstances related to the Corpus Christi Housing Authority which included the cost of renovations at a number of projects, the conditions at D.N. Leathers, and the burden of relocations for the residents.
An interesting exchange took place between myself and Housing Authority Chairman William Bonilla at the Authority's April 28 Board of Commissioners meeting:
Mr. Bonilla: I did an interview with that young man (behind you, Mr. Garcia). Why don't you stand up and tell us your name and who you represent.
John Jackson: I'm John Jackson, and I'm with the--
Bonilla: John what?
Jackson: I'm John Jackson--
Bonilla: John Jackson?
Jackson: I'm with the Corpus Christi Examiner (original name of the publication I am working with).
Bonilla: Corpus Christi?
Jackson: Examiner, it's a new publication, ah--
Bonilla: Weekly paper?
Jackson: It's a new publication--we haven't put out an edition yet--
Bonilla: Ok--
Jackson: But--
Bonilla: Well, we've been doing this for a long time, and I just wanted you to know, you're here and you're recording this meeting, but we're also recording this meeting ourselves--this is a public meeting.
Note: It may be up to the reader to decide what Mr. Bonilla's intentions were during this exchange.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Housing Project Remodeling Finances Seem Unclear
By John Jackson
Unresolved questions persist about how much the remodeling effort at 3 of Corpus Christi's 11 housing projects will cost.
Clairelaine Gardens resident, Ron Kolb, said that outgoing Housing Authority Chairman William D. Bonilla told him that all renovations combined would only cost $590,000. Kolb said Bonilla then added, "I'm busy, I'm a lawyer, that's the total."
Mr. Bonilla, said in an interview however that phase 1 and phase 2 of the remodeling effort will each cost around $600,000. The actual cost so far has proved to be much more than that.
Bonilla himself at the March 31st Housing Authority meeting made a motion to accept Hoover Construction Inc.’s bid for phase 2 renovations, which alone totaled $957,477. This does not include other expenses for phase two, such as contracts for moving, electrical, and plumbing for the buildings. The measure was ultimately supported by the board.
CCHA Sr. Vice President, Lorenzo Buitron later added that the cost of the first two phases combined would be cost between $1.5 and $1.6 million.
However, the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) website revealed in fact that more than $3 million had been budgeted for phases 1 and 2 of Clairelaine Gardens renovations, which are still being implemented. Phase 3, which has not yet been voted on, was budgeted for nearly $2 million. The costs of Phases 4 and 5 have neither been budgeted nor voted on as of yet.
The Corpus Christi Housing Authority report for the fiscal years of 2004 through 2008 revealed that a total of $8,263,370 was budgeted for remodeling of the 3 apartment complexes, along with an additional $1,426,978 for repairs on 3 other projects.Some of the funds from the Obama stimulus package (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) were also diverted to Phase 2 renovations, but it is yet unclear how much.
At the same meeting, earmark projects were also approved for "energy efficient" windows at Ruthmary Price, as well as the removal of asphalt from parking lots there and at Parkway Place, and small ornamental bus stanchions at four complexes. Surprisingly, the only proposal relating to security was the installation of security cameras at 6 of the projects.
Unresolved questions persist about how much the remodeling effort at 3 of Corpus Christi's 11 housing projects will cost.
Clairelaine Gardens resident, Ron Kolb, said that outgoing Housing Authority Chairman William D. Bonilla told him that all renovations combined would only cost $590,000. Kolb said Bonilla then added, "I'm busy, I'm a lawyer, that's the total."
Mr. Bonilla, said in an interview however that phase 1 and phase 2 of the remodeling effort will each cost around $600,000. The actual cost so far has proved to be much more than that.
Bonilla himself at the March 31st Housing Authority meeting made a motion to accept Hoover Construction Inc.’s bid for phase 2 renovations, which alone totaled $957,477. This does not include other expenses for phase two, such as contracts for moving, electrical, and plumbing for the buildings. The measure was ultimately supported by the board.
CCHA Sr. Vice President, Lorenzo Buitron later added that the cost of the first two phases combined would be cost between $1.5 and $1.6 million.
However, the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) website revealed in fact that more than $3 million had been budgeted for phases 1 and 2 of Clairelaine Gardens renovations, which are still being implemented. Phase 3, which has not yet been voted on, was budgeted for nearly $2 million. The costs of Phases 4 and 5 have neither been budgeted nor voted on as of yet.
The Corpus Christi Housing Authority report for the fiscal years of 2004 through 2008 revealed that a total of $8,263,370 was budgeted for remodeling of the 3 apartment complexes, along with an additional $1,426,978 for repairs on 3 other projects.Some of the funds from the Obama stimulus package (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) were also diverted to Phase 2 renovations, but it is yet unclear how much.
At the same meeting, earmark projects were also approved for "energy efficient" windows at Ruthmary Price, as well as the removal of asphalt from parking lots there and at Parkway Place, and small ornamental bus stanchions at four complexes. Surprisingly, the only proposal relating to security was the installation of security cameras at 6 of the projects.
Housing Projects Remodeling Effort Brings Out Questions
By John Jackson
With construction now complete on Parkway Homes, the Corpus Christi Housing Authority is still continuing renovations on two of the city's 10 other housing projects, Clairelaine Gardens and Treyway Terrace. The changes, CCHA officials say, will make them more attractive and more accessible places to live. Until things stabilize, residents will be reassigned to different apartments. Eventually however, CCHA officials say they will likely be able to come back to the same apartments they lived in before--with their conditions improved. Not everyone believes that renovations are necessary though, and some residents are worried about going to one project in particular, D.N. Leathers.
“This move is unnecessary,” said Ron Kolb, a longtime resident of Clairelaine Gardens, “it is a burden to the disabled and elderly, and it’s a waste of millions of taxpayer dollars"
"Not only that," he said, "they just had a remodeling in 2001."
Others shared Kolb's sentiments.
"The housing here at Clairelaine is okay," said a middle aged resident, who did not wish to be named, "It's not the ritz, but it's good."
"Clairelaine was built in the 1940s," he said, "so it is more comfortable than [housing projects built] today."
"Water used to come down [inside of the] walls during heavy rains," he continued, "but that got fixed in the last two years."
Since Clairelaine Gardens was initially a private apartment complex, before it was bought out by the CCHA in 1963, dwellings are generally larger and more spacious than most other housing projects in Corpus Christi.
Outgoing Housing Authority Chairman, William D. Bonilla, emphasized nonetheless that construction must go on, and that residents concerns about Leathers were unfounded.
“Leathers has been modernized,” Bonilla said emphatically, “and I’ll bet you ten to one that anyone going there will realize that.”
The quality of the buildings at Leathers appeared slightly better than the neighboring Winnebago St. area. (known to many Corpus Christi residents as "The Cut") Within walking distance of Solomon Coles High School, the housing project was also near a baseball field, basketball court, and a swimming pool.
The battleship gray apartments however had cracks along their baseboards.
Many of the air vents were also either partially or completely exposed. A rodent could easily climb into the vents from the outside, and either nest there, creating an infestation, or die, creating a foul odor throughout the building.
In addition to that, the sidewalks were badly cracked, and they appeared too narrow for wheelchair usage.
The washing machines in the laundry room were rusted on top, and the dryer had graffiti on it.
Since $222,200 was allocated to Leathers in the 2006 Housing Authority budget for purposes of painting and decorative trim, there has been no listing on the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) website for any further funding.
The modernization effort to which Bonilla referred did not seem not evident. One senior citizen who was moved from Clairelaine to Leathers several months ago, and wished to remain anonymous, agreed
“It’s dirty,” he said, “there’s too many thefts, and too many dogs.”“I’m afraid for my health,” he said, “ and I wish at night the could put in more security.”“At 2 and 3 in the morning,” he said, “people knock on my door.”“I think they’re on drugs,” he added.
Rosario Sanchez, another senior citizen, was concerned about a rise in troubled youth when she lived at Clairelaine, but did not want to go to Leathers either.
“They said you have to go wherever they send you,” Sanchez said, “Then they told me,” she said, “if I don’t go where they send me, they’ll kick me out of the HUD program, and not let me back in.” After saving a little money, and getting help from her children, she eventually moved to private apartments. Sanchez is trying to get back in to government housing though, and believes that it may be two years before she is considered.
Bonilla said that the Housing Authority did the best it could to accommodate residents as they were reassigned.
“If they’re gonna remodel a particular building,” he said, “they give them an option, sometimes there is no option".
Contrary to what he said earlier, "There is in fact, no modernization effort at Leathers," Mr. Bonilla later conceded, "in fact, we've been informed that there is standing water underneath the ground at Leathers, so we are considering closing it altogether."
"I think in the near future," said CCHA CEO, Richard Franco, "D.N. Leathers should be closed, and replaced with energy efficient homes."
"So many things are up in the air [about Leathers]," said CCHA Sr. Vice President, Lorenzo Buitron, "Some people [who live there]also say their kids have asthma because they are so close to the refineries."
With construction now complete on Parkway Homes, the Corpus Christi Housing Authority is still continuing renovations on two of the city's 10 other housing projects, Clairelaine Gardens and Treyway Terrace. The changes, CCHA officials say, will make them more attractive and more accessible places to live. Until things stabilize, residents will be reassigned to different apartments. Eventually however, CCHA officials say they will likely be able to come back to the same apartments they lived in before--with their conditions improved. Not everyone believes that renovations are necessary though, and some residents are worried about going to one project in particular, D.N. Leathers.
“This move is unnecessary,” said Ron Kolb, a longtime resident of Clairelaine Gardens, “it is a burden to the disabled and elderly, and it’s a waste of millions of taxpayer dollars"
"Not only that," he said, "they just had a remodeling in 2001."
Others shared Kolb's sentiments.
"The housing here at Clairelaine is okay," said a middle aged resident, who did not wish to be named, "It's not the ritz, but it's good."
"Clairelaine was built in the 1940s," he said, "so it is more comfortable than [housing projects built] today."
"Water used to come down [inside of the] walls during heavy rains," he continued, "but that got fixed in the last two years."
Since Clairelaine Gardens was initially a private apartment complex, before it was bought out by the CCHA in 1963, dwellings are generally larger and more spacious than most other housing projects in Corpus Christi.
Outgoing Housing Authority Chairman, William D. Bonilla, emphasized nonetheless that construction must go on, and that residents concerns about Leathers were unfounded.
“Leathers has been modernized,” Bonilla said emphatically, “and I’ll bet you ten to one that anyone going there will realize that.”
The quality of the buildings at Leathers appeared slightly better than the neighboring Winnebago St. area. (known to many Corpus Christi residents as "The Cut") Within walking distance of Solomon Coles High School, the housing project was also near a baseball field, basketball court, and a swimming pool.
The battleship gray apartments however had cracks along their baseboards.
Many of the air vents were also either partially or completely exposed. A rodent could easily climb into the vents from the outside, and either nest there, creating an infestation, or die, creating a foul odor throughout the building.
In addition to that, the sidewalks were badly cracked, and they appeared too narrow for wheelchair usage.
The washing machines in the laundry room were rusted on top, and the dryer had graffiti on it.
Since $222,200 was allocated to Leathers in the 2006 Housing Authority budget for purposes of painting and decorative trim, there has been no listing on the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) website for any further funding.
The modernization effort to which Bonilla referred did not seem not evident. One senior citizen who was moved from Clairelaine to Leathers several months ago, and wished to remain anonymous, agreed
“It’s dirty,” he said, “there’s too many thefts, and too many dogs.”“I’m afraid for my health,” he said, “ and I wish at night the could put in more security.”“At 2 and 3 in the morning,” he said, “people knock on my door.”“I think they’re on drugs,” he added.
Rosario Sanchez, another senior citizen, was concerned about a rise in troubled youth when she lived at Clairelaine, but did not want to go to Leathers either.
“They said you have to go wherever they send you,” Sanchez said, “Then they told me,” she said, “if I don’t go where they send me, they’ll kick me out of the HUD program, and not let me back in.” After saving a little money, and getting help from her children, she eventually moved to private apartments. Sanchez is trying to get back in to government housing though, and believes that it may be two years before she is considered.
Bonilla said that the Housing Authority did the best it could to accommodate residents as they were reassigned.
“If they’re gonna remodel a particular building,” he said, “they give them an option, sometimes there is no option".
Contrary to what he said earlier, "There is in fact, no modernization effort at Leathers," Mr. Bonilla later conceded, "in fact, we've been informed that there is standing water underneath the ground at Leathers, so we are considering closing it altogether."
"I think in the near future," said CCHA CEO, Richard Franco, "D.N. Leathers should be closed, and replaced with energy efficient homes."
"So many things are up in the air [about Leathers]," said CCHA Sr. Vice President, Lorenzo Buitron, "Some people [who live there]also say their kids have asthma because they are so close to the refineries."
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This blog aims to promote awareness of news in Corpus Christi and South Texas that traditional news sources have given little coverage to.
Although things are still under construction, and the timeline of articles may vary, this blog will be updated bi-weekly. Thanks for stopping by.
Although things are still under construction, and the timeline of articles may vary, this blog will be updated bi-weekly. Thanks for stopping by.
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