UPDATED Jan. 9: The Arlington Housing Authority (AHA) at its December board meeting discussed plans for the new AHA Charitable Foundation and approved project funding for fiscal 2027. All members were present except for tenant board member Fiorella Badilla and Vice Chair Gaar Talanian.
The charitable foundation aims to support the health and well-being of those residing in the AHA properties, and the foundation is now a tax-exempt entity, said Brian Connor, AHA chair. The foundation has been established, and additional steps are not needed, AHA Executive Director Jack Nagle noted in response to a query from YourArlington.
The three AHA board members present each pledged to donate $1,000. The initial goal is to establish a health-screening system for the AHA facilities and publicize the foundation, Connor said.
Need for screening clinic
Broad member JoAnne Preston emphasized the need of a screening clinic for senior residents with chronic health concerns and wrote a grant to try to fund it.
“While the grant for the screening clinic allows for funding for a nurse, it does not have funding for an administrator or other employees to run the program,” she said responding to a YourArlington query.
“Employees of the AHA already have many other responsibilities. One solution is to have the charitable foundation work closely with the AHA on grant proposals to organize these programs. At least one local housing authority in MA has done so. It would be worth exploring,” Preston commented. YourArlington is seeking comment from Nagle about which authority this is.
At the December board meeting, Connor had responded that with limited funds and under current bylaws, hiring employees likely would be difficult.
$2M for Menotomy window project
As to project updates, Nagle told the board that the contract with the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) for financial assistance of $2 million in High Leverage Asset Preservation Program (HILAPP) is the Menotomy Manor window-replacement and envelope-repair project. The program makes priorities about developments with significant capital needs that cannot sufficiently be addressed with formula funding and allows local housing authorities to leverage as much capital as possible from sources other than the state EOHLC.
Formula funding of $947,257 is directed toward an annual allotment and capital funding from EOHLC, Nagle said. “These projects are us preparing for mandates put in by not only EOHLC, but also by the Commonwealth related to their energy-efficiency goals,” he added.
The three members present voted to approve Amendment 14 to EOHLC contract of financial assistance to accept an award of $2 million in HILAPP Funding and $947,257 in formula funding toward modernization projects for fiscal 2027.
The submission of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) is a federal-funding initiative to support local communities and their needs, which is administered through EOHLC. All members present voted in favor of the CDBG application requesting $243,295 for Chestnut Manor parking lot and walkway-repaving project.
The AHA’s Dec.18 meeting began at 7:10 p.m. on Zoom and lasted about 25 minutes.
Dec. 17, 2024: AHA lists top-5 salaries with names after YourArlington seeks them
This news summary by YourArlington freelance writer Crystal Lin was published Friday, Jan. 3, 2024. It was updated Jan. 9, to clarify Menotomy window funding.
