School transforming into elderly housing
Senior Living at Prouty groundbreaking
By Bradford L. Miner TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
bminer@telegram.com
SPENCER— The landmark red-brick building at 195 Main St., witness to decades of this town’s students graduating and moving on, “graduated” itself yesterday afternoon with the ceremonial start of its conversion to housing units for the elderly, Senior Living at Prouty.
Sheldon Bycoff, president of Mental Health Programs Inc., presided over the brief ceremony on the lawn of the former David Prouty High School, culminating a five-year effort to transform dormant classrooms into living space.
Mr. Bycoff said the general contractor, Barr Inc. of Putnam, could begin demolition work as early as Monday on the project expected to take 15 months.
The former junior-senior high school, built in 1888-89, will become 35 units of rental housing for very low-income senior citizens and one resident manager’s unit, at a cost of $7.8 million.
Acknowledging the steadfast efforts of local committees and officials, state and federal agencies, Mr. Bycoff said the project was a long time coming together. The groundbreaking was a milestone, he said, and residents could expect to see changes come quickly within the fenced compound next to the Congregational Church.
He said the project development team that includes the architect, Studio One Inc. of Springfield, will work with the state and local historical commissions to preserve the most important historical and architectural features of the building, including the bronze countenance of David Prouty.
The money for the project, Mr. Bycoff said, will come from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, the state Department of Housing and Community Development, the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, and MassHousing.
Taylor Caswell, HUD’s New England regional director, said the town and Mental Health Programs Inc. should be congratulated for receiving money from HUD’s 202 program because it is one of the agency’s most competitive.
“It shows a true level of commitment for the community to have reached this point,” Mr. Caswell told the group gathered in front of the school.
“HUD’s senior housing program serves a vital need by ensuring that low-income seniors have a safe, decent and affordable place to live. MHPI has been an excellent partner in creating a higher quality of life and improved sense of community for residents,” he said.
State Rep. Anne M. Gobi, D-Spencer, said she recalled a walk-through of the building on a bitterly cold morning in January 2006 and found vandalism of the hallways and classrooms to be heart-breaking.
“It’s comforting to know that this building will soon be providing a safe and comfortable place to live for the people who are the fabric of this community,” Ms. Gobi said.
Peter Durant, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said the renovation and construction project will be the start of downtown Spencer’s economic recovery.
He said he was confident that the construction project would act as a catalyst for revitalization work on Main Street.
As of 2004, more than 27,000 senior citizens in Central Massachusetts were on waiting lists for low-income affordable housing, and the number will continue to grow as the nation’s elderly population increases, according to MHPI officials.
The first milestone for the project came in 2005 when MHPI received a $4.2 million grant from HUD to rehabilitate the landmark school building into affordable housing for the elderly.
Once completed, the project will offer residents an array of services including personal care assistance, homemaking services, and transportation. All units are designed to meet the needs of the tenant as his or her ability to function changes with age, according to MHPI.
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Copyright 2008 Worcester Telegram & Gazette Corp.