A COLLECTION OF STORIES

Click here for all stories written for yourArlington

Housing authority revives $2m special-needs funding →

For the first time since 2012, the Arlington Housing Authority (AHA) is actively seeking to either build or acquire existing property in town to add more units to its housing portfolio. The AHA is the town’s largest provider of public housing.

Executive Director Jack Nagle told the board during the monthly meeting May 19 that state funding for a special-needs housing development, called Chapter 689 -- first discussed nearly 17 years ago -- may still be available.

“I’m reaching out to the state and trying to get some information related to how to get this moving,” Nagle said. “There is some bonded funding attached to this project – a little over $2 million.”

Current housing portfolio

The AHA is a state agency that was founded in 1948 and provides rental housing to low-income, senior and disabled residents.

It owns and manages five high and low-rise buildings for senior/disabled residents (all built between 40 and 65 years ago), a sprawling complex for families in East Arlington built in 1949, a 122-year-old stand-alone house, several condos from the 1980s (two of which are affordable housing outside its state-aided public housing portfolio) and a 110-year-old home for developmentally disabled residents.

The authority also manages federally assisted public-housing developments and/or federal rental subsidy vouchers serving 422 households. Overall, the agency serves the housing needs of almost 1,200 residents.

For the past decade, the aging infrastructure has required significant state and town financial support for the renovation and preservation of these properties, effectively draining resources away from low-income housing development. 

The AHA derives its budget from resident rents as well as from an annual state program called formula funding. This rediscovered Chapter 689 state funding provides the authority with the opportunity to grow its housing footprint.

“What this is is an opportunity,” said Nagle. “I’m starting talks with the Town of Arlington to see what options are available potentially to build this [689 housing].”

Decades-old plan for Chestnut Manor’s lawn

In 2005, under the leadership of then-director Franklin Hurd, the board explored a collaborative development deal with the Housing Corporation of Arlington to build Chapter 689 on the front lawn of Chestnut Manor, the 100-unit building owned by the AHA that is home to senior and disabled residents.

The proposed joint plan included the “possible inclusion of the Atwood House into the process” by moving the historic building to the manor’s Medford Street location. The long-vacant and neglected property at 833 Mass. Ave., has been the subject of numerous redevelopment, zoning, and historical board discussions. It sits sandwiched between the CVS drug store and the First Baptist Church of Arlington, but recent improvements to the facade include new siding and windows.

The relocation of the Atwood House was determined to be too cost prohibitive. After Hurd retired, the housing authority, under new director John Griffin, independently pursued the $4 million project to build the three-story, 10-unit building for special-needs residents. The AHA received Select Board support, which provided funds up to $50,000 for a feasibility study; the authority hired an architect, secured zoning approvals and was ready to break ground in the spring of 2010, when the project was suddenly put on hold because of funding issues.

Atwood House back on table?

Treasurer Nick Mitropoulos, who was elected to the AHA board in 2001, and served as board chair during the Chapter 689 discussions in 2005, asked Nagle, “Can we get the house next to CVS?”

Without committing to that previously trod path, Nagle said that, “In 2006, they were looking at Chestnut Manor, but we’re hoping – and this will be part of the communication with the state – is that we could consider other locations. And that’s where I want to talk with the town and see if there’s any potential options that we could work out with them.”

YourArlington reached out to Robert Annese, the lawyer for Noyes Realty LLCP, listed as the property owner in the town’s records, and our reporting will be updated with his comments about any discussion involving the development of the Atwood House.

Special-needs underserved in housing

Currently, the AHA owns and manages the Donnelly House, a 13-unit building that opened in 1978, and was the first combined independent-living housing program in the state for people with intellectual disabilities. The home is run in partnership with the Department of Developmental Services, which provides 24-hour supervision and support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

In the past, the AHA has also explored acquiring the Mount Gilboa property for Chapter 689 housing, but the board rejected the plan because of safety concerns (the steep cliff face), and inaccessibility to shopping and public transportation.  

Chair Brian Connor, who also served several terms as chair during the initial development plans, said that the special-needs population is an underserved community. “Once special-needs students hit age 22, in the whole state system, there’s no place for them to go. There’s a huge need for this.”

The board voted to approve the extension for the $2,129,6215 contract for financial assistance for Chapter 689. Nagle said it “will provide us the opportunity to eventually build this development. I’ll have more news in the coming months, [but] definitely a very exciting opportunity.”

Recordings, meeting minutes 

Connor opened the meeting introducing another procedural change to the business of the monthly board meetings, saying that Sandy Melanson, assistant to the executive director, would start taking summary notes for the meeting minutes. This tightening of the information stream follows the "Public Participation Guidelines" that Connor introduced last July. 

In April, he presented an update on those requirements, including limiting public comment to email submissions received one week prior to scheduled board meetings, which would be addressed at the discretion of the chair. 

The AHA maintains an online database of every public board meeting held since 2004. According to state law, meeting minutes do not need a word-for-word transcription of the proceedings.

Connor said that “we’re only obligated to have a summary of discussions, and we’re obligated to record the votes.” He indicated that since “these meetings are now recorded by cable TV and so forth, I asked Jack to fix our website so that we can link from the meeting to the recording.”

A check of Arlington Community Media inc.’s YouTube channel (ACMi) showed that the AHA board meeting was last recorded in December 2021. There are no publicly available recordings for any of the six 2022 meetings.

During a January 2021 discussion about ACMi’s request to record the board meetings, attorney John Greco, said. “It’s like any other meeting; they can’t interfere whether it’s a meeting in person or a virtual meeting. They can’t interfere with the operation of the meeting. As long as that’s the case. They have the right to do so.”

YourArlington reached out to ACMi for a comment about their recording schedule, which includes recordings of Select Board, School Committee, redevelopment and zoning boards and town meetings, but does not typically cover Community Preservation Act Committee or Community Development Block Grant meetings.

The AHA also records its online meetings, and it was not clear at press time if those were the recordings Connor was referring to that would be posted to the website.

Acceptance of funding

The agenda item for acceptance of the Department of Housing and Community Development sustainability award for Menotomy Manor flood survey was removed from the posted agenda before the meeting, but other items received board action, including acceptance of the town’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding totaling $2,654,000 for the Manor’s window-replacement project and the state Department of Housing and Community Development's ARPA formula funding totaling almost $1 million.

These cash infusions, in addition to an emergency CDBG funding request of $350,000 and an approved CPA funding of more than $800,000 for fiscal 2023 (which begins July 1), should help the authority address longstanding and emergency repairs to some of its properties.

All the funding, whether town or state appropriated, must be used by Dec. 31, 2024. “The pressure is on us to get these projects done,” Connor said.

Other business

Tenant presidents praised the improved communication between the authority and its residents to address maintenance and building concerns. 

“The one-on-one [meetings are] definitely more effective and more productive because we can focus on our property,” said Menotomy Manor tenant president, Jenn Hernandez. “We appreciate it very much.”

The next regular board meeting of the AHA is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, June 16, followed by the annual budget meeting on Wednesday, June 22 at 7 p.m., and the housing choice voucher meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 30.

Housing authority leadership welcomes first Latina →

Mayra Cruz, the new assistant executive director for the AHA.

Story by Melanie Gilbert for YourArlington; photo by Mayra Cruz

As board elects all males

For the first time since its founding in 1948, the Arlington Housing Authority (AHA) has hired a Latina to an executive-level leadership position. The board of commissioners welcomed Mayra Cruz as the new assistant executive director at its April 21 board meeting.

“[Mayra] has extensive experience in housing authorities, which includes Boston and Cambridge,” said Executive Director Jack Nagle. “We’re really excited to bring her on board to work toward our goals and initiatives.”

Cruz joins the housing authority at a time when it is embarking on extensive and expensive building renovation and rehabilitation projects across its aging senior and family-housing portfolio.

Cruz embraces teamwork, ‘diversity’

Her professional background includes more than a decade of working in public housing at two of the Commonwealth’s largest public-housing agencies. She was an assistant director of occupancy for the Boston Housing Authority and a leasing officer at the Cambridge Housing Authority. (The AHA ranks 26 out of 240 Massachusetts' local housing authorities, with a total of 1,144 subsidized units, according to the town’s 2021 Fair Housing Action Plan.)

During her online meet-and-greet, Cruz said that collaboration and diversity animate her public-mission work. “I’m very excited to work alongside Jack, with the board, the local tenant associations, and the whole team. I embrace diversity, and I’m very passionate about affordable housing. I look forward to being of assistance and helping any way that I can.”

Cruz brings language diversity, too. She is bilingual in English and Spanish. Nearly 70 AHA residents identify as Latino, or 6 percent of the total resident population, and Spanish is a widely spoken language in the state. She joins board commissioner Fiorella Badilla and Menotomy Manor Co-vice president, Marta Cayarga in being able to communicate directly with residents whose native proficiency is Spanish.

Men dominate board positions

Despite the diversity represented by the front office, the new board officers feature an all-male slate. The positions of chair, vice chair and treasurer are elected during the annual April board meeting.

Brian Connor was unanimously reelected as chair; Gaar Talanian was elected as vice chair in a divisive vote replacing Jo Anne Preston; and Nick Mitropoulos took over for Talanian as treasurer.  

During the nominee statements, Talanian, a senior vice president of residential lending at Dedham Savings Bank, touted his banking expertise, saying, “My expertise with construction, lending and building is placed well with what we do at the AHA. I’m very adept at budgets, and that’s why I feel I’m qualified to be vice chair.” Talanian was nominated by Mitropoulos, which was seconded by Connor.

Badilla nominated Preston for the position, with Preston seconding her own nomination. She highlighted her community-building skills, saying that in her campaign for commissioner two years ago, she ran on a platform of outreach and resources.

“I ran on serving the tenants. I’ve attended all town committee and board meetings that were related to the AHA. I worked with Jack Cooper of Mass. Union of Public Housing Tenants so that he could help reform the Menotomy Manor Tenant Association. Last year, I was voted by this committee to be vice chair, and I would like to continue in that position.”

Preston lost the vote to Talanian, 3-2, split along gender lines.

Nonprofit solicits donations

The regular board meeting included an update on the Arlington Housing Authority Charitable Foundation. According to the filing, which was approved in March, the purpose of the corporation is “to provide support and outreach for the social, health, and well-being of those persons residing in the Arlington Housing Authority properties.”

In an email to YourArlington, Connor wrote that “state funds are scarce, and we must direct them towards the upkeep of the properties. [This foundation], which is totally separate from the AHA, [will be] seeking grants and other donations such as condos and homes from those wishing to support true low-income housing.”

All members of the current board, as well as Mariann Donovan, a resident of the AHA’s Hauser building, are listed as both officers and directors of the new nonprofit.

Connor also wrote that “we are hoping Jo Anne, who no longer has the responsibilities of vice chair [of the AHA board], will concentrate her energy on soliciting grants for the foundation.” Preston, who serves as the AHA representative to the town’s Community Preservation Act Committee, supported the committee’s allocation of $600,000 to the Menotomy Manor window-replacement project, as well as $200,000 for the Hauser Building emergency electrical panel upgrade.

State funding insufficient to meet resident needs

With state funds dedicated to rehabilitation and modernization projects, the AHA nonprofit could raise money to develop housing projects by partnering with developers to build and manage affordable housing in Arlington -- much like the Housing Corporation of Arlington has done with its Downing Square Broadway Initiative.

That’s the approach David Hedison, executive director of the Chelmsford Housing Authority, took nearly 20 years ago. The authority transferred its housing portfolio to its nonprofit, Choice Opportunities for Intergenerational and Community Endeavors Inc., through a board vote.

In conjunction with the housing authority, the nonprofit not only develops low-income and affordable-housing projects in Chelmsford, but it provides for the social-emotional and wellness support to its housing residents, such as on-site beauty salons, meal and brown-bag lunch programs, holistic healing centers, a free prescription-delivery service and many other resident-centered outreach programs.

According to its Form 990 filing, the Chelmsford nonprofit showed gross receipts of $1.8 million and assets totaling nearly $18 million. The executive director of the organization reported compensation of more than $131,000 plus expenses.

Climate-change, community initiatives

The board approved Nagle’s request to hire a structural engineer to evaluate the balconies at Chestnut Manor for placing heat-pump devices. It’s the first step in qualifying the building for a $1 million state-funded program to cut energy costs.

“[The state] says there’s a 20- to 30-percent energy savings on both heat and air-conditioning,” said Nagle, indicating discussions he had had with state officials on the incentive project.

He added that “we’re advocating for other sites to be considered. We’re hoping we can include as many of our developments for the different types of energy-efficiency projects that could be on the table.” Gas and electric utilities in the senior-housing buildings are paid for by the authority; residents at Menotomy Manor pay their own gas and electric bills.

The authority had nearly $800,000 in electricity and $81,000 in gas expenses in fiscal 2020. A 20- to 30-percent energy reduction because of propertywide heat-pump installation at the senior-housing complexes, could result in future savings of at least $200,000.

Nagle thanked Arlington EATS for a $5,000 donation, to be used to bring rain barrels to the properties and to help offset the costs of building raised-bed gardens for handicapped accessibility.

Tenant organization meetings

In response to tenant requests for more staff engagement with community building and maintenance concerns, Nagle has scheduled monthly one-on-one meetings to be attended by the local tenant organization representatives and himself, as well as maintenance and property management staff.

Winslow Tower President Pam Hauser said the community recently held their first gathering since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, celebrating an Italian Night dinner attended by 42 of the 139 residents.

Menotomy Manor President Jen Hernandez thanked the board and staff for organizing a scavenger hunt for the children of the family-housing complex in East Arlington. 

And Ellen Leigh asked whether the housing authority will hold Covid booster clinics as it has in the past.

“I’m looking at well-being in terms of boosters. Boosters is something that has been recommended for the elderly or people with medical conditions, and I’m wondering if there is anything planned to help make it easier and more likely that residents do get a booster,” asked Leigh. Connor replied, “I think, yes. That’s something we’ll look into and we’ll try to do that.”

The AHA held successful Covid-vaccine clinics in the senior-housing buildings in December.

The board tabled approval of the March meeting minutes after a transcribing objections by Badilla, before voting to adjourn. 

The next meeting of the AHA is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, May 19. 

Tenant president, representative flex authority →

Communication, budget, transparency at issue

Tenant-led leadership dominated the two-hour March meeting of the Arlington Housing Authority, featuring a newly engaged Menotomy Manor Tenant Association, whose officers were elected last September after a nine-year absence from community representation.

President Jen Hernandez, who also sits on the Town of Arlington’s Community Development Block Grant committee, pressed executive director Jack Nagle on issues of communication, budget and transparency, saying that “any questions I ask, it’s always with good intentions and to help.”

She found an ally in tenant board representative member Fiorella Badilla, also a manor resident, who was appointed to the five-member board by the Select Board in August. Badilla echoed Hernandez’s view saying that “I just want to make sure we are doing the best we can.”

Concerns about window-design firm

Badilla opened the meeting by questioning the qualifications of ABACUS Planners & Architects, of Boston, to be the lead architect and designer on the proposed $4-million to-$6-million Menotomy Manor window-replacement project.

ABACUS, a Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) vendor, has a long history with the housing authority. It was lead designer on the $13-million kitchen-bathroom and handicap-access project that was completed at the family-housing complex in 2009.

Last year, ABACUS was hired to design the building-envelope restoration and door-replacement project at the Drake Cottages, the senior and disabled housing complex in Arlington Heights, for a total estimated cost of $1.4 million.

Peeling kitchen tiles

An in-house survey conducted by the Menotomy Manor Tenant Association, found that a substantial number of resident units were experiencing widespread peeling and lifting of the 13-year-old kitchen floor tiles, which Badilla attributed to poor construction materials and work overseen by ABACUS.

“The tiles were not properly [glued] down,” Badilla said. “They did not follow the instructions of whatever glue they used.”

Meeting minutes from 2005 and later show the projected costs of the kitchen and bathroom project exceeded DHCD funding estimates. According to board meeting minutes from 2005, ABACUS partner David Pollak cautioned the board that “changes would be necessary to bring costs more in line with DHCDs funding.” It’s not clear if those changes involved materials and construction like the tiles that Badilla spoke of.

In an email to YourArlington, Pollak said that he “would like an invitation to meet with the residents and the AHA Board of Commissioners to discuss their important concerns.”

Board Chair Brian Connor, who was chair during several years of the kitchen-and-bath project, said that “ABACUS is respected by the state” and that “things aren’t meant to last 13 years.” He also suggested that Badilla “sit with Jack. Find the data on the tiles. Research it. Go down that track.” In the meantime, he suggested that the tile issue be addressed by a replacement plan developed in collaboration with Chris Partridge, the director of maintenance and modernization.

The housing authority uses the state-run capital planning system, which lists the life expectancy of existing and proposed materials in construction projects. YourArlington reached out to Nagle to ask about the life expectancy of the tiles used in the kitchen and bathroom project. His response will be included in updated reporting.   

State authority depends on town funding

The state-run housing authority receives the bulk of its operating funding from resident rents and DHCD. It supplements its much-needed building repairs and upgrades – such as the window-replacement project - with substantial town funding.

“It looks like we’re going to get $2.5 million from the Town of Arlington American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. We’re also going to get $1.1 million from the Community Preservation Act (CPA)– all for the windows,” said Nagle during the meeting.

When the housing authority has submitted funding applications, the town has supported its extensive infrastructure needs. Since fiscal 2017, the authority has received more than $2.3 million from the CPA for preservation projects. It has received several million dollars from Community Development Block Grants for capital-improvement projects, such as boilers and roofs, as well as creating affordable housing.

Mostly, though, town funding has gone to support the existing infrastructure with limited housing added to the town’s low-income housing stock. This situation is experienced by housing authorities nationwide who are struggling to maintain their aging housing portfolio.

In its Arlington Housing Plan 2022 report, the Barrett Planning Group noted that “The Arlington Housing Authority (AHA) manages five public housing developments and administers rental assistance vouchers, but it has not actively pursued new housing development in a long time and lacks resources to manage the properties it already owns.”

Executive Director David J. Hedison, has been with the Chelmsford Housing Authority since 1988. He said that “the $5-billion backlog of work needed today in state public housing has no path to being addressed. $55 million a year [from DHCD] and $150 million of ARPA funds is like using a Dixie cup to remove water from a sinking cruise ship. We need a real plan to save over 40,000 units of housing.”

Communication issues between tenants, authority

Timely and accurate information from the housing authority to tenants continues to be a source of friction between the residents of some of the properties, the board and the authority management and staff.

Barrett’s “Implementation Plan” of the housing report recommended “support tenant advocacy and organizing efforts in affordable housing properties owned and managed by the AHA,” noting that “tenants raised concerns about property conditions and interactions with property managers.”

To address these issues, the report suggested that the “town invest in opportunities to provide resources for tenant organizing.”

As part of its ARPA-funding allocation, the AHA has requested more than $184,000 for resident support services, which in his application, Nagle said that position would "meet with residents and coordinate services for them where possible.” 

Representation of tenant voices is complicated by anemic or absent tenant-led associations at the properties. Two of the five tenant organizations – Chestnut and Cusack – rarely present to the board at its monthly meetings. Drake Village, a complex of more than 200 residents, has been without a formal tenant association since last year.

Connor said that “anybody could call Jack, but the presidents have a different status where you can feel free to pick up the phone and call Jack or Chris [Partridge] anytime.”

Hernandez replied, “Well, I really don’t feel that so much, but we can work on it.”  

Other business

The board added Juneteenth as a paid holiday to the authority’s calendar. The June 19 federal holiday commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans.

Nagle also announced that the successful SHERA program would be ending April 15. The Subsidized Housing Emergency Rental Assistance is a federal program providing emergency funding to renters in subsidized housing impacted by Covid-19.

“We have received more than $60,000 for residents in need,” said Nagle. Qualified owners of subsidized housing can apply for assistance on behalf of all their income-eligible residents with rental arrears for the periods between April 1, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2021. “We’re still applying for residents who need it,” he said.

The authority received additional Covid-testing kits through the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, and was distributing them to authority residents. Nagle reminded residents that the town is “continuing to provide testing on Mondays at Town Hall.”

The annual meeting of the housing authority is scheduled for Wednesday, April 20, at 6:45 p.m., at which new officers will be elected, followed by the regular meeting at 7 p.m.

Housing authority tackles projects, ongoing and planned →

The Arlington Housing Authority (AHA) board and executive leadership heard from concerned residents and tenant association leadership during a lively board meeting held Wednesday, Feb. 16.

Residents and tenant association officers from the senior and family-housing developments complained about timely and accurate communication and action on a range of health and safety issues, including pest control, security and maintenance.

“I’m getting tired of hearing, ‘We’re looking into this. We’re looking into that,'" said Winslow Tower President Pam Hauser, during the hourlong Zoom meeting. "Something has to be done.”

Board Chair Brian Connor responded to Hauser, saying that “We’ve got to forgive the month of February because I know our staff have been dealing with the [fire] at Chestnut Manor. Unfortunately, we can’t just wave a wand and hire new staff.”

The tragic fire at Chestnut Manor in January killed one resident, injured another, displaced 21 residents from 18 apartments and caused extensive fire, smoke and water damage to the property for senior and disabled residents. The initial investigation determined the cause to be a faulty electric baseboard heater, but the final report has not yet been publicly released.

The town’s inspectional services department performed electrical bus duct testing at the state-owned Chestnut Manor last week. The testing measures the voltage in the electrical system to identify flashover or hot spots in the circuitry. According to Executive Director Jack Nagle, “the bus duct testing was a success, and the results were good.”

He thanked the town’s departments of Council on Aging and Health and Human Services for transporting Chestnut Manor residents to Town Hall and engaging them in a variety of activities while the electrical work was conducted.

Staffing changes, vacancies at state agency

The communitywide complaints come in the wake of a yearlong executive-level staffing turnover at the authority.

Former executive director John Griffin, who led the agency for nearly 15 years, took six-months personal leave before his retirement last October.

Operations Manager Jack Nagle served as interim director in Griffin’s absence. In December, the five-member board of directors selected Nagle as the executive director.

Bob Cronin, the longtime director of maintenance, retired in December, and he was replaced by Chris Partridge, formerly a maintenance foreman for the authority. He stepped into an expanded role as director of maintenance and modernization.

New position to address management, communication needs

In addition to these internal promotions, the authority is recruiting for an assistant executive director, which Nagle said will absorb his previous operations-manager responsibilities – as well as assume other critical duties -- under one management-level role that reports directly to him.

In an email to YourArlington, Nagle wrote that “The Assistant Executive Director will have the duties of the operations manager as well as additional responsibilities related to higher-level planning and execution related to the administration of our state and federal programs.”

According to the job description, the $90,000-to-$100,000 position has “responsibility for ensuring high-quality customer service, excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work with people of various socioeconomic backgrounds.”

Jen Hernandez, Menotomy Manor Tenant Association president, said she hoped these personnel moves would improve communications between the authority and the residents.

“We need to fix these breakdowns in communication, so that we can all work together and accomplish as much as possible for the [residents],” she said.

Connor concurred, offering, “I think we’re all on the same page, here. I’m fully aware of your association’s concerns.”

Executive director update on Chestnut Manor fire

For years, under Griffin’s administration, the board meeting minutes noted that “Mr. Griffin updated the board on all ongoing projects” even as none were entered into the record. In contrast, the monthly reports by Nagle to the board presents a detailed accounting of authority projects.

In his opening comments, Nagle thanked all the people and departments who helped coordinate a wrap-around response to the January fire at Chestnut Manor.

He said the AHA has successfully found permanent housing for all those displaced from the fire at Chestnut Manor. He cited the collaborative effort among the AHA, the Town of Arlington’s Health and Human Services, the Somerville Homeless Coalition, Minuteman Senior Services, the Red Cross, Arlington EATS and Food Link.

The task force, made up of these partners, “has been essential in assisting the displaced residents’ transition into their new units, as well as helping them get furniture, clothing, food and other essentials. Additionally, I would like to commend the great efforts by the maintenance department in getting vacant units ready, and the AHA administrative staff in getting residents into new units.”

He also stated that the fund set up by the town to help residents raised more than $40,000, thanks to many generous donors.

CPA funds Menotomy Manor window project

Nagle confirmed that the agency received $600,000 in Community Preservation Act Committee funding for the Menotomy Manor window project.

The AHA board voted to approve ABACUS Architects + Planners to perform the $20,000 window survey at the family-housing complex in East Arlington. The survey is required by the Department of Housing and Community Development to secure state-level funding and construction approval.

ABACUS was the lead architecture design firm for many other housing authority projects, including the $13 million kitchen and bath/handicap-unit project at the manor, completed in 2009. ABACUS also performed the design work on the recently completed Drake Village envelope restoration project.

Security cameras, unsecured work

Board members and residents alike raised concerns with Nagle and Partridge about security-camera installation work done on the Menotomy Manor property in early February.

Hernandez said proper 48-hour notification was given to the wrong units, other units were accessed without the proper notification and units were unlocked and left unattended by maintenance while the work was performed by outside contractors.

“The camera people [from Intellibeam] were going into units unaccompanied,” said Hernandez. “Tenants are finding out information from the camera company rather than the housing authority or the tenant association. That’s really unacceptable and not following procedure.”

Board member Fiorella Badilla, a Menotomy Manor resident who was appointed by the Select Board to the tenant representative board position last August, echoed Hernandez’s concerns for oversight of the project by the maintenance staff. “It did say on the [resident] notice that they would be supervised. Do we need a supervisor to supervise the person who is supposed to be supervising things?”

Nagle said that “the standard protocol is to give residents 48-hour notice, and have somebody accompany them. We’ll look into the breakdown and address it accordingly.”

Surveillance vs. security concerns

In 2017, the Town of Arlington established a group to “examine the use of surveillance cameras situated in outdoor public spaces and their impact on privacy, civil liberties and human rights.” Committee members included Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine.

At that time, the AHA had installed 15 surveillance cameras on and near its manor property, and 74 cameras at each of its five properties (Winslow, Chestnut, Cusack, Drake, Hauser), without notice of public input, which then-committee member Steve Revilak found “disproportionate and concerning.”

As a state agency that owns and manages its properties and buildings, the AHA is not under town control with regards to its surveillance-camera network.

The display panels in the office of the property manager for Menotomy Manor provide multiscreen live feeds. There is not a camera policy on the AHA’s website, so it is not clear how the videos are monitored, how long they are retained or how they are secured.

State ARPA funds for domestic violence

The board voted to accept the state’s ARPA funding for $100,000 for a Domestic Violence Initiative sponsored by state Rep. Sean Garballey.

The AHA owns three properties in Arlington that are set aside for victims of domestic violence. The late Brian Greeley, known for his work as a board member on the AHA from 2006 to 2011, secured early Community Development Block Grant funding for the shelters.

Nagle said he was hopeful that “creating partnerships with domestic-violence agencies will help us find the best use of these funds” as well as “ensure that AHA residents that have experienced domestic violence can continue to get the support and services that will help them to thrive.”

Pests, rodents and other ‘critters’

Ellen Leigh, Cusack’s tenant association secretary, asked about the status of pest-control measures to “keep the critters at bay.” In December, the authority approved Terminix as the most “responsive, responsible and lowest bidder” for the integrated pest management contract.

Nagle said that pest problems “are ongoing, but they’re being addressed” by a weekly and monthly treatment schedule. Connor encouraged residents to “immediately call the office and report [mice] so we can get right on top of this.”

Leigh wondered whether an integrative approach was being followed and offered the example of “mice chewing away at the baseboard heaters, and they put steel wool in to address the problem,” wondering if there’s “a way to get information to the residents on what has been done” and what treatments work.

Vice Chair Jo Anne Preston, who proposed the integrative pest-management approach for the housing authority, said that to be successful, pest management has to be a “proactive program.”

In response, Nagle said that “we will start identifying trends and common issues” to address problems through the housing authority buildings. “We’re trying to move toward helping the residents and educating them to be part of the solution by [finding] the root causes that need to be addressed properly.”

Electrical upgrade OK'd following Chestnut Manor fire →

The Arlington Housing Authority (AHA) in a special meeting Wednesday, Feb. 2, approved a buildingwide upgrade of electrical panels at Chestnut Manor, the scene of a deadly fire last month.

The Jan. 22 blaze, which started with an electric baseboard heater in the bedroom of a third-floor unit, resulted in injury to that resident, the death of 88-year-old neighbor Bridget Doyle, and displaced 21 other residents from 18 apartments on the first, second and third floors. Officials earlier reported 16 displaced.

Executive Director Jack Nagle called the existing electrical panels in the 57-year-old building “dated,” and urged the board to approve their replacement. “The insurance company [is] upgrading the electrical panels related to the fire.

“We’re going to try and get the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to help us pay for upgrading the electrical panels and other systems in the building at the same time.”

The DHCD is a state-level agency that provides funding to and oversight of housing authorities such as the AHA.

Nagle expressed confidence that the state would support the $409,000 project, and the board unanimously approved the motion to amend the budget to reflect this capital needs request.

Fire history at Chestnut Manor

Chestnut Manor is a seven-story, 100-unit housing complex for seniors and people with disabilities. It has been the scene of previous fires, including the 2008 death of Sophie Brady, who succumbed after the stove on which she was boiling water ignited her clothing.

Although the housing authority passed a nonsmoking policy in 2015, which banned smoking in the units and all common areas both inside and outside the property, a 2020 fire - also on the third floor - was traced to a discarded cigarette butt. Although there were no injuries, the building suffered water damage and its hot water tanks had to be replaced.

Since this past September, Chestnut Manor has been the scene of numerous Arlington Fire Department (AFD) alarm calls for “food on the stove.” The latest call was the evening of Thursday, Feb. 3, for “burned chicken, no fire” and prompted fire department command to request that the AHA “put a fob for the front door so the fire department can gain entry,” according to incident audio logs. A fob is a token or key card-type device with radio frequency identification. It can be coded for user access via a control panel system mounted on the building's exterior. They are the security and access technology for residents in AHA's apartment buildings. 

Nagle addressed the issue of emergency access to Chestnut Manor in an email with YourArlington, writing that “we confirmed with AFD that an additional fob has been made available to them in their box at Chestnut Manor.

Fire-safety training, equipment

Nagle wrote that “we have also scheduled training sessions with AFD to educate residents in fire safety and prevention practices” at the six main AHA properties of Chestnut Manor, Cusack Terrace, Drake Village (the cottages and the Hauser building), Winslow Towers and the Menotomy Manor family-housing complex in East Arlington. The AHA also owns and manages properties of what is called “scattered-site” housing at various locations throughout town.

In 2014, under the leadership of former director John Griffin, the AHA installed new sprinkler heads, smoke detectors and heat sensors in Chestnut Manor. Heat sensors are devices that can respond to a sudden and high change in room temperature. In 2018, the authority approved a fire alarm upgrade to the building. All these safety features were operational the night of the Jan. 22 fire, according to Fire Chief Kevin Kelley.

The State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit report on the cause of the Chestnut Manor fire is pending public release.

Town, community relief response

Both town and outside agencies are supporting residents displaced by the fire, including Arlington’s Health and Human Services (HHS), the Council on Aging (CoA), Somerville Homeless Coalition, Minuteman Senior Services and the American Red Cross.

In a statement, HHS director Christine Bongiorno said that “helping residents impacted by the fire has been a community effort. We’re grateful for the support of everyone who has contributed.”

A donation fund established by HHS and the CoA raised nearly $35,000 to support the 21 displaced residents who are temporarily living in local hotels.

Drake Cottages repairs, other business

The rest of the board meeting discussed repairs to bunching and fraying lobby carpeting in many of the nine cottages of Drake Villages, in Arlington Heights.

“The carpets being replaced are original [to] the building,” Nagle said. The development of the two-story buildings with seven one-bedroom units each, was completed in 1961.

Personnel moves, hiring

Since last April, the state housing agency has experienced significant personnel changes in the departments of maintenance, administration and resident services.

Property managers Janet Doyle and Lynne Sullivan switched roles, with Doyle now managing Winslow Towers and the Mystic Gardens properties, and Sullivan taking over as the family resident services role at Menotomy Manor.

“I am excited about the opportunities ahead and am focused on putting staff members in positions that best serve the residents of the AHA, as well as provide them the opportunity to grow professionally,” Nagle wrote.

More personnel changes include the newly created positions of assistant executive director and a family self-sufficiency coordinator.

In response to a question about extra support for Chestnut Manor residents to deal with their fire-related issues, Nagle wrote YourArlington that current Resident Services Coordinator Tricia Horgan and other housing authority staff provide support where needed, but that “if we receive the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for a part-time resident services coordinator, my current plan is to have one person focus on senior public housing and the other focus on family public housing residents. This will allow them to support and address the unique needs of each population.”

The Select Board endorsed Arlington’s ARPA framework including the authority’s $184,000 request for increased resident support services.

Housing authority vies for $1m from CPA →

The Community Preservation Act Committee (CPAC) met Wednesday, Jan. 26, in its ongoing review of nearly $3.5 million in funding requests from 13 townwide applicants. That includes the $1 million for windows sought by theArlington Housing Authority (AHA).

Arlington voters supported the CPA in November 2014. The measure provides cities and towns with dedicated funds to preserve open space and historic sites, create affordable housing, and develop open space and recreational facilities. The fund is financed through a property-tax surcharge, plus annual distributions from the Massachusetts Community Preservation Fund.

The CPAC has a record number of final applicants for this fiscal year as compared to past years, and has approximately $3 million in funds to distribute.

Executive Director Jack Nagle presented the authority’s proposal for the Menotomy Manor window-replacement project to the eight-member committee, which includes AHA commissioner and Vice Chair Jo Anne Preston, who worked with Nagle to submit the extensive documentation required.

“We are requesting that the CPA commit $500,000 over two years, for a total of $1 million,” Nagle said during the Zoom meeting.

The AHA is a state agency that owns or manages rental housing for low-income, elderly and disabled Arlington residents through its apartment buildings, family-housing complex, some scattered-site properties as well as Section 8 housing vouchers.

The window-replacement project, estimated to cost from $4 million-to-$6 million, would replace the 37-year-old aluminum-frame windows in the 126 brick apartments and 53 units in duplex-style buildings with energy-efficient units.

“The goal of this project is to address water damage, draftiness and security concerns related to the current state of Menotomy Manor [windows],” wrote Nagle in the application.

Architect outlines preservation vision

David Pollack, partner at Abacus Architects + Planners, said the goal of this project was “the preservation of Menotomy Manor family housing,” which is the largest development of its type in Arlington. It is home to more than more than 500 residents including 200 children.

The family-housing complex in East Arlington was originally called Veterans Housing in 1950, when it opened, to serve the needs of returning World War II veterans and their families. Some of the goals of CPAC are to “preserve or restore historic resources,” and to “help meet local families’ housing needs.”

Depending on funding streams, the project's scope and goals are potentially larger than just the windows.

“The brick walls of the brick buildings are uninsulated, and the brick is deteriorating,” said Pollack, illustrating his presentation with pictures of exterior damage to the buildings’ façade. “The lower-cost approach is the restoration of the masonry. It’s never been comprehensively repointed in the 70-plus years since these buildings were built. That’s a minimum”

A more comprehensive and expensive plan would address the building envelope problems.

“Putting insulation with siding on the outside of the buildings is what’s being studied now,” Pollack said. “That would significantly increase the performance and life of the buildings.”

Manor residents support project

After the presentation by Nagle and Pollack, Chair Clarissa Rowe recognized officers of the Menotomy Manor tenants’ association, who spoke in support of the funding application. 

“The windows are awful,” said Secretary Lisa Hersey. “You can feel the wind blowing. It is very cold, very drafty. We pay our own utilities here. It’s not included in our rent.”

President Jen Hernandez spoke to structural problems with the widows. “They don’t go all the way down. They don’t go all the way up. Sometimes, they fall on your head. There’s not one problem you could not have with these windows.”

The Select Board has allocated the AHA $2.5 million in Town of Arlington American Rescue Plan Act money. The state agency is also applying for $500,000 in High Leverage Asset Preservation Program money from the Department of Housing and Community Development. If funded the requested $1 million by the CPA, the AHA will have $4 million of the $6 million to replace windows.

According to the application, “We are currently in the process of raising funds through grants and other sources. [Depending] on the amount of money we receive, parts of the project may need to be phased.”

CPA support for AHA

In the years that it has submitted an application, the CPA has been a source of funding for the housing authority. Under former executive director John Griffin, there were no requests for funding in fiscal years 2018, 2020 or 2021.

“For a long while, we didn’t have any AHA requests,” noted committee member Leslie Mayer during the meeting.

Since its first funding cycle, in fiscal 2017, the committee has allocated roughly $1.3 million to the housing authority. If approved for the fiscal 2023 request, Nagle will accomplish in one application cycle what took four previous funding cycles for the authority to realize.

Rowe called the Menotomy Manor project “important,” adding, “We will be determining what projects will move on to Town Meeting for approval. But I think this is a really worthwhile project – a tremendously worthwhile project - and I thank you for bringing it to us.”  

Preston praised the collaboration between AHA management and manor residents in bringing the application to the CPAC.

“This is really a cooperative project,” she said. “They’ve been working together, first on the proposal, but also on when we move forward about what needs to be done. Those windows really need to be replaced.”

Funding timeline

The committee hears from additional applicants Wednesday, Feb.2, at 6 p.m. Sometime this month, the committee expects to select recommended projects and consult with other town leadership. In March, the committee plans to complete the recommended projects and seek the approval of Town Meeting , which begins in April.