FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — For retirement aged folks who no longer want to or can’t take care of a home and don’t qualify for low-income housing the Fort Fairfield Housing Authority is hard at work building new units just for them.
“For those who are retired, who want to get out of having to maintain a home because either they can’t or don’t want to maintain a home and do maintenance, pay utilities, pay taxes, we’re giving them the opportunity to remain in Fort Fairfield or move back to Fort Fairfield, closer to their family and friends,” said Wayne Troicke, executive director of the Fort Fairfield Housing Authority.
The authority is constructing two buildings with two units each and expects the project to be completed this November.
The site for the project is located at the old Mountain View Trailer Park site, where the name of the road to the duplexes has been changed to Cherry Lane.
Each building will include two two-bedroom units with one car garages. Each unit will have a storage room, front porch, back deck, open floor plan, dining and kitchen space, an Americans with Disabilities Act compliant bathroom with washer and dryer connections as well as kitchen appliances including a microwave and dishwasher, according to Troicke.
All utilities, including heat and electricity will be included in the $1,100 per month rent. The rent also will cover trash removal, snow removal, yard care and 24 hour maintenance.
The buildings will take advantage of energy efficient technologies for lighting and heating with LED lights, heat pumps, propane boilers for hot water and in floor radiant heat.
No federal, state or local tax dollars will be spent on the project and the housing authority will pay town property taxes. The estimated cost of the project is $750,000.
The Fort Fairfield Housing Authority has developed housing for low-income families since 1950.
“We refinanced a project last summer in July and that refinancing pulled in $400,000, and there were excess reserve funds in that project that Maine Housing Authority released,” Troicke said. “These are monies that we earned over the last 40 years, all the excess cash from the project, which went to an escrow account, was released to us after refinancing. So that brought us up to about $550,000 right there, the other $200,000 was financed through a local bank.”
The housing authority will keep as much of the funds local as possible by hiring County contractors for the project.
Among the local contractors already hired are: McGillan Inc., Duane Thompson Masonry, Underwood Electric, McGlinn Plumbing & Heating, Tiny Dreamers Inc. and Ant Hill Home Improvements, according to a press release.
“The Cherry Lane project is a good opportunity for those farmers who want to leave the field and retire and stay in their home town,” said Jim Risner, Fort Fairfield town manager.
To be qualified to rent a unit, a tenant must be 62 years old or older and must have income above 80 percent of the town’s median income. That means prospective tenants must make more than $31,300 per year for an individual and $35,800 per year for a couple.
For more information, contact the Fort Fairfield Housing Authority at 476-5771.
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- Officials with the Housing Authority of Fort Fairfield expect new Cherry Lane apartments to be completed this November. The units are designed for people who don’t qualify for low-income housing, are retirement age and want to stay in Fort Fairfield. (Contributed)
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- Officials with the Housing Authority of Fort Fairfield expect new Cherry Lane apartments to be completed this November. The units are designed for people who don’t qualify for low-income housing, are retirement age and want to stay in Fort Fairfield. (Contributed)
