Builders break ground on Townsend Woods

Builders break ground on Townsend Woods
By Anne O’Connor, Correspondent
Nashoba Publishing
Posted: 06/04/2010
TOWNSEND — Teamwork is the key word for the people working on Townsend Woods, an affordable, senior-housing development on Dudley Road in Townsend.
“The team effort is going to create a better project,” said architect Gregory Zorzi of Springfield’s Studio One Architects.
Funds were raised, plans drawn up and now construction has begun.
RCAP Solutions, the builder and owner of Atwood Acres, another elderly-housing development in Townsend, worked with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to secure funding for the second affordable senior housing in Townsend.
“The program is fiercely competitive,” Warren Mroz, senior project manager at department said. “Just getting it to this stage is a lot of work,” he said. The federal government can no longer provide complete funding, so the state granted funds through two different offices; a HOME grant from the Department of Housing and Community Development, and Housing Innovation Funds from the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation.
Townsend Wood’s designers at Studio One Architects specialize in designing senior housing. “You won’t know it’s affordable,” Zorzi said. Features are designed to enable seniors to age in a safe and attractive home.
Scooters will be able to be recharged right in front of the apartments. Common areas will provide friendly gathering places and a portico will keep people dry as they exit a vehicle into the building.
Walking distances will be minimized and fixtures will be designed to become handicap accessible as needed.
With molded oak hand rails, wall sconces and a fireplace, Zori promised the building would be attractive. The roof might be a “green” roof with plantings.
Townsend Woods will be extremely energy efficient and use environmentally-friendly building materials, he said.
Barr Construction, of Putnam, Conn., was chosen through a competitive bid process because of its experience building affordable senior housing.
The site is cleared, the slab poured and rough plumbing ready. John Darigan, the vice president of Barr Construction and project manager, said the construction is over 20 percent done.
Many of the contractors the firm is using for the project are local Darigan said. The flat site and gravel in the soil provides a stable base for the slab. Rich topsoil scraped off for construction will be reused in the landscaping.
Chris Novelli, project manager from Studio One, said the building is on schedule and on budget.
The construction has a minimal impact on residents at Atwood Acres. They continue to garden in front of the building site and have promises of more garden space when Townsend Woods is completed next spring.
The traffic pattern will be changed very little. Residents of the new 36-unit building will enter through the grounds of Atwood Acres. Darigan said the traffic pattern around Atwood Acres will remain one-way. Traffic in Townsend Woods will be two-way.
Affordable senior housing started to be built 40 to 45 years ago, Mroz said. The age of the residents in these buildings has risen. The average age in 1990 was 60 to 65. He said the new average of a resident in senior housing is closer to 80 now.

SourceNashoba Publishing

New playground’s a ‘natural’ for children

Site was built with recycled material

By Stefanie Geisler
Globe Correspondent / May 25, 2010

The new playground at the Crispus Attucks Children’s Center in Dorchester has an obstacle course, a fort, a balance beam, and very little plastic or metal.
The playground, built from natural and recycled material, was unveiled and dedicated yesterday in a ceremony attended by Governor Deval Patrick, Councilor Charles Yancey, and community members. Organizers said similar playgrounds are popular in suburban areas, but it is the first of its kind to open in Boston.
“It’s a national movement mainly implemented in suburban areas to this point,’’ said Lesley Christian, president and chief executive of the center, which provides care for children from low-income families.
“The goal is really to get the children out and moving and enjoying nature,’’ said Theresa Jordan, project manager at the Children’s Investment Fund.
Last year, the Wiley Playground was flat and had manufactured equipment and no shade. Today, grass has largely replaced wood chips and sand, the old equipment has been recycled, and several new trees dot the area.
Wood was used to create a fort on top of a small hill, and two yellow slides are embedded below.
The site features specific play areas for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, and incorporates several sprinklers for water games, as well as an exercise path, a small vegetable garden, and a butterfly garden.
“Exercise doesn’t mean having to go to the gym. It can just be chasing butterflies,’’ said Christiana Unaegbu, 40, of Hyde Park, whose two children attended the center. “Having a place like this will encourage the kids to get out and play. For me, that is a plus as a mother.’’
The project cost about $270,000, Christian said. It was funded in part by a seed grant from the Children’s Investment Fund, which is affiliated with the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, said Mav Pardee, program manager.
Although a natural playground is about half as expensive per square foot as a traditional playground, factors such as size can raise the cost, Pardee said.
“It’s not apples to apples,’’ she said. “The reason that this is so expensive is because we’ve got that whole campus, which you would never do with an ordinary playground.’’
More than 200 children from Dorchester, Mattapan, and Roxbury spend about 261 days per year at the center, Christian said. They range in age from about 1 month to 6 years.
When they return home, the children often do not go outside, Christian said.
“The community area is not safe, so they’re sitting in front of the TV,’’ she said.
The playground’s ultimate goal is to encourage play and help curb childhood obesity.
“The CDC says outdoor play is the magic bullet for childhood obesity,’’ Pardee said. “Some research shows that kids move more in a natural playground because there’s just more to do.’’
Three other natural playgrounds are slated to open this year, including the SPARK Center in Mattapan, Viet-AID in Dorchester, and Nazareth Child Care Center in Jamaica Plain. Another playground is planned for ABCD Head Start’s site in Dorchester.
But the playground at the Crispus Attucks Children’s Center is not quite complete, Christian said. Other additions are still in the works, including awnings, an activity wall, a waterfall, and more climbing equipment.
“It’s really disappointing that our community is so bereft of green, of trees, of flowers,’’ Christian said. “There’s too much concrete and not enough parks and green spaces. It was really important to me that this be beautiful, and I think it is.’’

© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.
Hyperlink: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/05/25/new_playgrounds_a_natural_for_children/

SourceBoston Globe

Senior Living at Prouty Open House a Success

May 15th, 2010

Nearly 300 people hailing from Spencer, other Central Massachusetts communities beyond came to Senior Living at Prouty for an Open House held on May 14. The well-attended event sponsored by Newton-based MHPI, Inc, included tours of the converted school as well as remarks from a number of special guests.
The day was the culmination of six years of hard work on the part of many as MHPI, Inc. converted the historic school building, which dates back to 1888 into 36 units of affordable housing for very-low income seniors. Along with its development team, MHPI worked tirelessly to preserve many of the timeless elements of the building while still managing to equip it with a host of modern amenities. The building represents MHPI’s first of hopefully many forays into Central Massachusetts.
Funding partners for the project, which cost approximately $8 million include the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, MassHousing and the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation.
“The pride I feel is undoubtedly shared by so many people here today,” MHPI President Sheldon D. Bycoff said. “This project has truly been one that recognizes the dire need of housing for the very low income elderly. To be able to transform a fabulous historic setting into a place for residents to call home is my mind an incredibly gratifying experience.”
Amongst the speakers addressing the standing-room only crowd were Bycoff, United States Congressman Richard E. Neal and newly-appointed Housing and Urban Development Regional Director Richard A. Walega. Also taking to the stage were State Senator Stephen Brewer, Department of Housing and Community Development Director of Housing Programs Andrew Nelson and Donald Berthiaume, Jr. the Chair of the Spencer Select Board.
Studio and one-bedroom apartment units are still available on a first-come/first-serve basis. To request an application, please contact Jane Karoway, Occupancy Specialist at 617-431-4924 or via email at jkaroway@mhpi.net.

Hyperlink: http://mhpi.net/2010/05/15/senior-living-at-prouty-open-house-a-success/

SourceMHPI.net

Lower-cost units remain in Hyde Park

By Jeannie Nuss, Globe Correspondent | May 9, 2010

Mayor Thomas M. Menino told dozens of residents of Blake Estates in Hyde Park yesterday that their affordable housing complex will remain affordable until 2030.

“We’re going for 20 years of affordability right here at Blake Estates,’’ Menino said to an outburst of applause from the crowd.

Menino’s announcement came after negotiations with the property’s owner, Beacon Residential Properties, which agreed to extend the affordable housing contract with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. The current Section 8 contract was due to expire this year for the 263-unit housing complex on Hyde Park Avenue that houses elderly and disabled people. Under the contract, seniors pay no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent.

Rosetta Wilson, a 75-year-old grandmother of eight and great-grandmother of three, has been living in Blake Estates for 10 years.

“I’m ecstatic,’’ Wilson said after yesterday’s announcement. “I don’t want to go to a nursing home or assisted living. I like to cook what I like to cook. I don’t want anyone to plan my meals for me.’’

Menino talked about his personal connection to the area, which is where he grew up.

“We work hard together. We don’t allow people to come in here and say, ‘Oh we’re gonna throw you out,’ ’’ Menino said. “We’re never gonna throw you out.’’

City Councilor Rob Consalvo called the extension a “great victory’’ for Hyde Park.

“All of you at Blake Estates are so important to the fabric of our neighborhood,’’ Consalvo said. “You are our neighborhood.’’

“You can live here and understand that you’re not going anywhere, and we’re not going anywhere,’’ he added. Still, Roger Herzog, the executive director of the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, called attention to the difficulties that planners face in maintaining affordable housing and praised the mayor’s work.

“Mayor Menino, for his entire term as mayor, has really been a natural leader in making sure that places like Blake Estates stay affordable,’’ Herzog said.

SourceBoston Globe

Capping carbon and rent

Green building funds from the Obama administration may do more than help cut energy costs and shrink our carbon footprint — they could also be instrumental in preserving tens of thousands of affordable housing units now at risk.

Almost 17,000 Massachusetts apartments could move from “affordable” to out-of-reach over the next several years thanks mainly to expiring HUD and MassHousing subsidized mortgages first signed in the 1960s and 1970s. Increasingly, housing activists believe that green building funds may be one way to cushion the blow.

On April 14, affordable housing developers, policy advocates and green building experts brought together from across the country by a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation forum gathered in Boston to determine the best path forward to both cut energy costs and carbon production at our older housing stock, and to use those savings to preserve lower rents.

Virtually every month, somewhere in Greater Boston, Worcester or the Springfield area, apartment complexes built with federal or state assistance turn 40 — and with that anniversary, the mortgages that contain the use restrictions requiring owners to maintain the housing’s affordability to low- and moderate-income tenants expire. As the mortgages mature, many owners will have the option to retire their debt, end all affordability restrictions on the property and reposition their property as market housing.

Read more: Capping carbon and rent – Boston Business Journal:
http://boston.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2010/04/26/editorial2.html

SourceBoston Business Journal Op-Ed

Natural playgrounds are growing into a national trend

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald Special for, USA TODAY

BOSTON — The playground of the future is beginning to take shape — and it looks a lot like the backyard of the past.
Designers of children’s play spaces are increasingly looking beyond slides, jungle gyms and other plastic-coated structures in their quest to create fun, safe, healthy environments. As a result, kids are running outside and discovering play areas dotted with old standbys: sand, water, boulders, hills and logs.
“This is an emerging national trend of some significance,” says Richard Dolesh, chief of public policy for the National Recreation and Parks Association. “Parents and other adults want natural opportunities for kids … The question is: how do you ensure safety with the inherent challenges that nature brings?”
Natural play spaces, as they’re called, are becoming more common as municipalities, schools and child care centers seek sustainable ways to invest in new or aging playgrounds. Seattle is adding at least six natural play spaces to existing city parks. Boston-area institutions have at least four in the works. Similar projects are either underway or recently completed in Phoenix, Chicago, New York and Auburn, Ala.
Kids seem to get the concept. Jada Horne, 4, knows just what to do one April morning at a new natural play area at the Boston Medical Center’s SPARK Center. She grabs a bucket of sand, adds water from a conveniently located spigot and gets to work.
“I’m making soup!” she explains, tossing in a few handfuls of woodchips for flavor.
Supporters of natural play spaces say they make sense on multiple levels. Child development experts say kids learn creativity and autonomy when they’re engaged with “loose parts,” such as mud and sticks. Funders in these lean-budget times are sometimes pleased to forgo five- and six-figure expenditures for manufactured play equipment. Some even argue that natural places are safer.
“They don’t get boring,” says Mav Pardee, program manager for the Children’s Investment Fund, a financier of natural spaces and other educational experiences for Boston-area kids.
But even some believers say built playgrounds are not going to become obsolete. They see equipment as an essential complement to natural play spaces.
In Seattle, natural play spaces have engaged children at city parks since the late 1990s. Though kids at first enjoyed playing with sand and a cave at Carkeek Park, they tended to get restless and be excessively hard on the natural features, says Randy Robinson, a senior landscape architect for the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation.
“Once they’d dug in the sand a little bit, they’d be running up and down the hill, but there just wasn’t enough for them,” Robinson says. “People who are promoting environmental education don’t want to hear that. (But) parents made a request to get some conventional play equipment installed nearby.” Now kids burn energy by swinging or climbing and then use the natural play space when they’re ready for creative downtime.
Makers of playground equipment say they aren’t opposed to natural play spaces, since kids benefit from nature. But playing only with natural elements isn’t adequate for a child’s healthy development, says Joe Frost, a retired professor of education and a paid board member for the International Playground Equipment Manufacturers Association.
“Certain physical skills are established through built equipment that are difficult to provide through natural materials,” he says. “For instance, they need climbing structures.”
Natural play spaces may appear simple, but getting one launched can mean overcoming multiple hurdles. Municipalities often struggle to get insurance because insurers aren’t sure how to assess the risks involved, says Robin Moore, director of the Natural Learning Initiative at North Carolina State University.
Oversight boards sometimes resist proposals for natural play areas because they mark a departure from the playground norm, says Gail Sullivan, president of Studio G Architects, which designed SPARK’s area. What’s more, even natural play areas need money: SPARK’s cost $80,000 to design and build.
What’s involved in caring for them remains a matter of some debate. Maintenance costs can be minimal precisely because nature is the whole idea, says Ron King, president of the Natural Playgrounds Co., a designer and builder whose gross sales doubled from $139,000 in 2007 to $279,000 in 2009.
“Everybody says, ‘What about maintenance?’ ” King says. “Our response is: ‘It’s a natural area. Let it go.’… That’s nature. That’s what it’s all about.”
But Linda Cain Ruth, a building science professor and playground expert at Auburn University, says natural playgrounds need careful maintenance to remain safe.
“A lot of people think that because it’s natural there’s no maintenance, and that is not true,” Ruth said. “Wood rots. … You have to make sure you have a good surface for (kids) to fall on.”

Copyright 2010 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
Hyperlink: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2010-04-22-EARTH_GreenPlaygrounds22_ST_N.htm

SourceUSA Today

CHOICE Housing Complex breaks ground

CHOICE Housing Complex breaks ground
By Chloe Gotsis/ staff writer
GateHouse News Service
Posted Apr 05, 2010 @ 9:18 PM

Chelmsford — With a silver shovel in hand, Chelmsford Housing Authority Director David Hedison told a tale Monday afternoon of a dream he and his deputy director had 10 years ago: To create a campus setting for seniors of all economic backgrounds.
On a warm Monday afternoon, a group of town and state officials gathered next to a crane parked in a dirt lot behind the two completed senior housing buildings for the groundbreaking of Chelmsford Housing Opportunities for Integrated and Community Endeavors or CHOICE’s 37-unit affordable housing complex for seniors.
“This represents $9.6 million of funding from over a half a dozen sources,” said Hedison.
Town Manager Paul Cohen congratulated the efforts of Hedison, the Housing Authority and its nonprofit arm CHOICE, organized to help fund the senior housing complex.
“When we are getting limited developments [during these times] David and others keep soldiering on,” said Cohen, adding that Hedison will be asking Town Meeting to support two new housing developments at Town Meeting next month fand he fully expects these to pass as well.
Leslie Bos of the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development called the CHOICE center a unique approach to affordable housing and commended Hedison and CHA for following through with the project during harsh financial times.
“Thank you for making this important project a reality,” said Bos.
In addition to housing the North Village Complex will include an on-site medical center and laboratory through a partnership with Saints Medical Center and an All Care Adult Health Center with on-site 24 hour staff care for residents.
Tony Fracasso of MassDevelopment Finance Agency, who is financing the project with tax-exempt bonds said the state’s finance authority was honored to help fund this project.
“It takes many many sources to produce affordable housing and that’s a reality,” said Fracasso.
The bonds were purchased through Enterprise Bank and Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston.
Hedison worked closely with Enterprise Bank throughout the process of applying for funding for the development, which will include 32 one bedroom units and five two bedroom units.
“What’s important about this project is the passion,” said Ryann Dunn of Enterprise Bank. “David is obviously very passionate about the elderly in this community.
The project will be built and designed by Mostue & Associate Architects, Inc. and Landmark Structures Corporation. The project was funded by a culmination of funding from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the state DHCD, MA Affordable Housing Trust Fund, MassDevelopment, Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, Chelmsford Community Preservation Funds, Enterprise Bank and Charles Farnsworth Trust.

Copyright 2010 Chelmsford Independent. Some rights reserved
Permalink: http://www.wickedlocal.com/chelmsford/news/x1664794134/CHOICE-Housing-Complex-breaks-ground

SourceWicked Local

Money Briefs: Workforce Forum

Workforce forum
WORCESTER — The Commonwealth Workforce Coalition will hold its seventh annual conference from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow at the DCU Center, 50 Foster St.

More than 350 work force professionals will learn new strategies for the post-recession economy, share practices, meet employers, and learn about legislation and training programs. For more information or to register, contact Ann Donner of the Commonwealth Workforce Coalition at adonner@cedac.org or (617) 727-5944.

Sourcetelegram.com

CEDAC Web Portal, Designed and Implemented by Blue Robin, Provides Increased Productivity & Improve

CEDAC Web Portal, Designed and Implemented by Blue Robin, Provides
Increased Productivity and
Improved Business Processes
Submitted by: Blue Robin, Inc.
Waltham, MA February 2010 – Blue Robin, Inc., a leader in building customized eBusiness infrastructures, has completed the development and the implementation of a complete web infrastructure for CEDAC, (Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation) that includes a centralized, multi-domain portal Content Management System, CRM, and Event/Workshop portal management system. CEDAC is a public-private, community development finance institution that provides technical assistance, pre-development lending, and consulting services to non-profit organizations involved in housing development, workforce development, neighborhood economic development, and capital improvements to child care facilities. The CEDAC Web Portal includes a module that integrates all aspects of events, contact, and lists (databases). This module provides an access level based information management tool that contains the following feature sets: Event Registration & Management System; Dashboards; Contact Management (eCRM); Digital Dispatch Digital Dispatch( bulk email engine that will allow CEDAC to dynamically pull contacts into a list to merge with Microsoft Word.) CEDAC’s objectives are to continue to build brand identity, awareness, and interest in the organization and the services they provide, as well as to use the site to house forms used by borrowers, and grantees for requesting financial assistance from CEDAC. “Our multiple web sites are the main conduit and communication channel to provide content and interaction for all of our constituencies and target audiences. Centralizing our content, using Blue Robin’s Content Management System, has modernized and improved our web infrastructure tremendously and has improved our processes, both for internal and external users. It has provided CEDAC with the most efficient online structure to simplify and automate our processes for creating, managing and publishing content online, while maximizing the value of online user interactions with delivering a highly personalized experience,” states Karen Kelly, Director of Finance and Operations at CEDAC.
Building Customized eBusiness Infrastuctures
“We are delighted to be working with CEDAC. The primary objective was to help CEDAC better serve their customers while improving business performance. Our goal was to create an efficient and successful web infrastructure that meets and exceeds not only the current needs of the business and its intended end users, but also keeping an eye on the future,” says Hadi Shavarini CEO of Blue Robin. Hadi Shavarini, CEO, Co-founder, Blue Robin, Inc. P: 781-577-6010
hadi@bluerobin.com www.bluerobin.com Blue Robin provides and supports adaptable web infrastructure for businesses and organizations with 2 to 200 employees. Our cost effective web-based business automation solutions enable our clients to streamline their business processes, gain efficiency and accelerate their growth by leveraging the IT evolution. Blue Robin, Inc. 20 Lyman Terrace Waltham, MA 02452
Permalink: http://www.openPR.com/news/119531/CEDAC-Web-Portal-Designed-and-Implemented-by-Blue-Robin-Provides-Increased-Productivity-and-Improved-Business-Processes.html

SourceopenPR.com PR-Inside.com

Six housing programs get funding

Six housing programs get funding
By John Laidler
Globe Correspondent / January 31, 2010

An infusion of state and federal assistance is providing a major boost to six affordable housing proposals in the region.
The six are among 17 affordable housing plans selected to receive a combined $153.9 million in resources awarded by the Patrick administration this month.
“We were thrilled,’’ said Madeline Nash, real estate director for the nonprofit Coalition for a Better Area, in Lowell, which was awarded financing help to construct 23 affordable rental units on the former site of two blighted buildings it bought and razed last year in Lowell.
The coalition will receive $1,888,000 in state subsidies and $499,000 in federal tax credits for the project, the latest in a series it is carrying out to revitalize the Moody Street neighborhood.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to create new and exciting housing in this neighborhood and we see it as an essential component to this multiyear effort,’’ Nash said, estimating the project would get underway in September.
The 17 projects earning state awards will create or preserve 1,305 rental homes, 1,147 of which will be affordable to low and moderate households, including 144 transitioning to permanent housing from homelessness, according to the state.
The $153.9 million includes $131.4 million to produce 1,050 rent al units, 926 of them affordable. The financing will come in the form of federal and state tax credits – which will be sold to private investors – and funds allotted from various other state and federal programs.
The remaining $22.5 million will come from federal stimulus funds that are being used to jump-start affordable housing projects that received tax credits but have been stalled due to lack of equity in the tax credit market. The “tax credit exchange funds’’ were awarded by the state to three projects that will produce a combined 225 rental units, 221 of them affordable.
The nonprofit Caleb Foundation was awarded $4 million in tax credit exchange funds for its project to build 34 affordable rental units on the site of a dilapidated warehouse in Gloucester. The project marks the third and final phase of an overall redevelopment of the former LePage Glue factory complex.
Rob Bernardin, Caleb’s director of acquisitions, said that the state award will replace the unsold state tax credits that proved “the one stumbling block in our financing package.’’
Bernardin said construction is expected to begin by the end of the winter.
Through its development entity, Peabody Supportive Housing, LLC, EA Fish Companies was awarded financing for its project to restore the former Saunders school building in Lawrence and convert it to 16 affordable units for families transitioning from shelters. The award provides $1.3 million in state subsidies and $347,982 in federal tax credits.
Larry Oaks, a senior manager for the Braintree-based development firm, said the financing is “critical’’ for the project, now set to begin this spring.
“We’re delighted,’’ he said. “We are looking forward to hopefully opening the doors to this community in early 2011.
House of Hope, a Lowell nonprofit, received $557,324 in state funds to support its initiative to provide five units of affordable rental housing in Lowell for families transitioning from homelessness. The group, which also operates a shelter for homeless families on Merrimack Street, opened the transitional housing last year in a house it purchased on Varnum Avenue.
The state money will enable House of Hope to repay a temporary loan from the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation it received last year to purchase the site, and to carry out renovations to the building exterior, said the group’s executive director, Deb Chausse.
The YMCA of the North Shore, and the Beverly Affordable Housing Coalition were jointly awarded $3.3 million in state subsidies, and $643,500 in federal tax credits to help build 33 affordable units in Beverly.
The project is the first phase of a two-phase initiative to raze a group of homes on Mill and Grant streets and replace them with 65 units of affordable housing, according to Christopher Lovasco, chief operating officer of the YMCA of the North Shore.
The YMCA, which manages 200 affordable rental units in the region, also received $8,139,940 in tax credit exchange funding for a planned 48-unit affordable rental housing project on Route 1A in Ipswich, next to the Ipswich YMCA.
“We can finally close on the project and begin construction,’’ Lovasco said.
© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.

SourceBoston Sunday Globe

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Author: Dilia Ramirez