Reaching New Heights

It's moving day for Fredesvinda Galarza as she carries boxes of books and other belongings Wednesday into her newly refurbished apartment at Delaney Heights.

It's a working day for Leo Gonzales, who is a trainee working to bring the units in the public housing complex back into shape.

"I have a little bit of experience in everything and I'm improving my experience," Gonzales said, as he drilled holes in a 2x4 piece of wood that will be used to support a new wall in one of the apartments.

Built in the mid-1960s, the 50-unit Delaney Heights was showing its age and needed substantial renovation to keep the units from becoming obsolete.

The complex for the elderly and disabled is owned and operated by the Avon Park Housing Authority.

Six other trainees like Gonzales, who live in housing authority complexes, are working and learning under four building trade professionals on the rehabilitation project.

One of those contractors, Richard Young, has been in construction for 36 years.

"I've never seen it this slow in my whole life," he said. "That's why I was kind of glad to run into this."

The renovation work includes: kitchen cabinet replacement, floor tile replacement, complete bathroom renovation, efficiency to one bedroom conversion, window and door security/hurricane protection, complete interior and exterior painting, plumbing renovation and sidewalk repair.

"They had been retiled before and the old stuff underneath is coming up so we are teaching them to do tile repair and/or replace," Young said.

The project started June 2 on vacant units and is scheduled to be completed by the end of November.

Work is done on occupied units over two days while the resident/residents are treated to two nights in a hotel and meal money.

The Delaney Heights Community Center is temporally serving as a construction staging area, housing boxes of floor tiles, new plumbing fixtures and other building supplies.

Mark Richardson, housing authority facilities manager, said: "I've been very pleased with the contractors that we've got working as well as the trainees who are very interested in working and learning."

The project is being funded in part with a $294,648 award the housing authority received from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (H.U.D.).

Along with the H.U.D. award, the housing authority is using an additional $232,000 in capital funds and newly awarded American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus funds to pay for the project.

The trainees receive a wage in accordance with laws relating to federally funded or assisted construction projects.

FAST FACT

Work is done on occupied units over two days while the resident/residents are treated to two nights in a hotel and meal money.