January 16, 2025
MINUTES OF A MEETING
The Regular Meeting of the Norwalk Housing Authority Board of Commissioners convened at 5:32pm January 16, 2025.
Location: Zoom Video Conference
Present:
Brenda Penn-Williams, Chair
John Church, Treasurer
Isaac Walcott, Commissioner
Teneshia, Jacobs, Commissioner
Liza Bermúdez-Montgomery, Vice Chair
Staff Attending:
Adam Bovilsky, Executive Director
Alison Mukhtar, Director of Operation
Anna Keegan, Director of Policy and MTW
Charmaine Davis-Ford, Director of Finance
Kras Carlucci, Deputy Director
Jeff Oduro, Director of Technology
Lisa Endo, Director of Development
Linda Rolle, Director of Grants
Leroy Fender, Director of Maintenance
Greg Lickwola, Director of Modernization
Ann Keegan, Director of Policy and MTW
Wendy Gerbier, Director of Learning Centers
Nicole Ruffin, Director of Human Resources
Sherreida Reid, Partnership Manager
Donna Lattarulo, General Council
Roll Call:
At 5:32 pm, Chair Penn-Williams opened the meeting. Chair Penn-Williams recognized Vice Chair Liza Bermúdez-Montgomery, Treasurer John Church, Commissioner Isaac Walcott, and Commissioner Teneshia Jacobs as present acknowledging a quorum was established.
Report of the Secretary:
Mr. Bovilsky presented updates:
a. Grant funding recently received:
- HUD funded Grant of $187,566 supporting two Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) coordinator positions for another year.
b. Learning Center December activities included:
- Field trip to the AMC SoNo 8 theatre to view Red One
- Family Holiday Celebration held at the Envision Center complete with Santa, gifts, food, and activities.
Also, two Learning Center students, Nataliz Guzman and Kaithlyn Betances, were awarded first place recognition in their respective age groups from the HAI Group 2025 Calendar contest for their artwork and essays on playground safety.
c. Major projects in progress include:
- We are still in the process of finding a new Headquarters location.
- Demolition of Meadow Garden has begun.
- We have fully transferred to PHA-Web software and are currently working on the complete integration of data from our previous software provider.
- Actively developing an RFP for strategic planning consultant.
d. Upcoming events and Board meetings:
- January 24, 2025 @ 5:00pm will kick off an exhibition at the Norwalk Art Space, 455 West Avenue. Along with works of professional artists, this exhibition will display works from our Learning Center students.
- February 13, 2025 Regular Board Meeting.
New Business:
Mr. Bovilsky turned the meeting over to Greg Lickwola who announced that bids for the replacement of bathrooms at John Shostak and for the replacement of boilers at Irving Freeze were advertised on December 23, 2024. Mr. Lickwola recommended Stanley Construction LLC, the lowest bidder at $1,297,500. He also confirmed that Stanley Construction's references, licenses, and debarment status were in good standing. Additionally, Norwalk Housing has successfully completed projects with Stanely Construction in the past.
30-90 Treasurer Church moved to approve:
a. Stanley Construction LLC to replace bathrooms at John Shostak and boilers at Irving Freese.
Vice Chair Bermúdez-Montgomery seconded the motion.
Ayes
Chair Penn-Williams
Treasurer Church
Commissioner Walcott
Commissioner Jacobs
Vice Chair Bermúdez-Montgomery
All in favor. Motion was carried.
Mr. Bovilsky presented a summary of proposals received from various bidders and the criteria used to recommend M & T Bank as the LIHTC equity investor, and provider of construction and permanent loans services for the financing of the Meadow Gardens redevelopment.
Commissioners Walcott and Church requested details regarding the cost of the construction loan, specifically if the length of the term impacted the total interest charged, but indicated that this would not prevent them from voting to proceed with M & T bank.
30-91 Treasurer Church moved to:
b. Select M & T Bank as the LIHTC Equity investor for the financing of Meadow Gardens redevelopment.
Commissioner Walcott seconded the motion.
Ayes
Chair Penn-Williams
Treasurer Church
Commissioner Walcott
Commissioner Jacobs
Vice Chair Bermúdez-Montgomery
All in favor. Motion was carried.
30-92 Commissioner Walcott moved to:
c. Utilize M & T Bank to provide both construction and permanent debt financing for the redevelopment of Meadow Gardens.
Treasurer Church seconded the motion.
Ayes
Chair Penn-Williams
Treasurer Church
Commissioner Walcott
Commissioner Jacobs
Vice Chair Bermúdez-Montgomery
All in favor. Motion was carried.
30-93 Chair Bermúdez-Montgomery move to approve:
d. Tuition assistance in the amount of $4,200 for Jill Murray to continue work on her Doctor of Education Degree at the University of Bridgeport.
Treasurer Church seconded the motion.
Ayes
Chair Penn-Williams
Treasurer Church
Commissioner Walcott
Commissioner Jacobs
Vice Chair Bermúdez-Montgomery
All in favor. Motion was carried.
30-94 Treasurer Church moved to approve:
e. Supervision and Management Training for Sherreida Reid on March 18th at a cost of $917.00.
Commissioner Walcott seconded the motion
Ayes
Chair Penn-Williams
Treasurer Church
Commissioner Walcott
Commissioner Jacobs
Vice Chair Bermúdez-Montgomery
All in favor. Motion was carried.
30-95 Treasurer Church move to approve:
f. Family Self-Sufficiency Training for Kelly Nagle February 11-13 at a cost of $825.00
Commissioner Jacobs moved to second the motion.
Ayes
Chair Penn-Williams
Treasurer Church
Commissioner Walcott
Commissioner Jacobs
Vice Chair Bermúdez-Montgomery
All in favor. Motion was carried.
30-96 Treasurer Church moved to approve:
g. Minutes of the December 12, 2024 board meeting
Commissioner Jacobs seconded the motion.
Ayes
Chair Penn-Williams
Treasurer Church
Commissioner Walcott
Commissioner Jacobs
Vice Chair Bermúdez-Montgomery
All in favor. Motion was carried.
Mr. Bovilsky then turned the meeting over to Charmaine Davis-Ford who provided an update on the financial status of the agency. She covered the following areas in her presentation:
1. Account Receivables & Repayment agreements: mentioning the Finance Department is actively working with forty-eight families under repayment agreements to address outstanding balances.
2. Operating Statements: She presented the operating statements for Colonial Village, Federals amps, and Section 8.
3. Monthly Bills: She reviewed the monthly bills, noting an increase in maintenance costs because of the Enspire inspections and increase in the cost of water which can be attributed to higher utility rates.
4. Vacancy Report: She shared details of the vacancy report, highlighting occupancy and unit turnover.
5. 2024 FYE Audit Report: Ms. Davis-Ford mentioned that the agency is in a stable financial position with income increasing, as reflected in the 2024 fiscal year-end audit.
Mr. Bovilsky turned the meeting over to Leroy Fender to discuss the maintenance department efforts during the month of December. Mr. Fendor mentioned:
Winter Preparation: The staff took steps to prepare for winter weather by salting sidewalks and parking lots as needed, ensuring safety for residents.
New Software (PHA Web): The department is now using PHA Web, a new software tool that will track inventory, repair time and costs, monitor work orders and bill residents for repairs, more efficiently.
Repainting Senior Properties: The maintenance ground crew focused on repainting Senior buildings.
Inspection Readiness: As a result of the recent Enspire inspections and in preparation for future inspections, Peter Agusto has recently completed an inspection of Colonial Village. Senior Court is the next building scheduled for inspection. The goal is to stay ahead of repairs and avoid extensive maintenance costs in materials and time.
Air Compressor Issue at Senior Court: An Issue was identified with the air compressor in the Senior Court heating system which is failing. The necessary part has been ordered, and backup plans are in place to manage any system failures until the part arrives.
Vacancy Report: Data on the number of vacancies and length of time vacant.
30-97 Vice Chair Bermúdez-Montgomery moved to approve:
h. December 2024 Department reports.
Treasurer Church seconded the motion.
Ayes
Chair Penn-Williams
Treasurer Church
Commissioner Walcott
Commissioner Jacobs
Vice Chair Bermúdez-Montgomery
All in favor. Motion was carried.
Addendum:
30-98 Treasurer Church moved to approve:
i. Sherrie Powel tuition assistance in the amount of $5,400.00 to continue pursuing her ED.D. in educational leadership at Sacred Heart University.
Commissioner Jacobs seconded the motion.
Ayes
Chair Penn-Williams
Treasurer Church
Commissioner Walcott
Commissioner Jacobs
Vice Chair Bermúdez-Montgomery
All in favor. Motion was carried.
30-99 Vice Chair Bermúdez-Montgomery moved to adjourn the meeting.
Commissioner Jacobs seconded the motion. All if favor.
The meeting adjourned at 7:23pm.
Respectfully submitted,
_______________________
Adam Bovilsky, Executive Director