May 25, 2018 2 min read

Area housing authorities will be receiving nearly $2.3 million in federal tax dollars allocated through the Department of Housing and Urban Development for capital improvements.

Washington County Housing Authority will be getting $1,710,234 and Greene County is due to receive $580,490.

Stephen Hall, executive director of the Washington County Housing Authority, listed a number of improvements the board has planned:

At Maple Terrace, Washington, new siding and porch roofs, $65,000; windows, $110,000;

At Lincoln Terrace, Washington, replace kitchens, porches and roofs, $263,000;

Crumrine Tower, office security, $20,000;

Bentley Tower, replace a parking lot, $75,000;

California Terrace, replace playground, $2,000;

Donora townhouses, replace windows, $60,000.

“Smoking shelters” at highrises, $10,000; HUD prohibits smoking at a minimum of 25 feet from its buildings;

Architecture and engineering fees, $135,000;

Security cameras, $45,000;

Some of the money will also be used for relocation expenses to temporarily move tenants while work is being done in a unit.

Washington County Housing Authority received slightly more than it had anticipated.

“I didn’t know I was going to get the extra money,” Hall said after learning of the total through a news release disseminated to the media.

“As I tour public housing properties throughout the region, I see the overwhelming need for improvements that are well beyond routine maintenance,” said Joe DeFelice, HUD Mid-Atlantic regional administrator, who visited Washington County last fall.

Greene County Housing Authority Director Lane Turturice, who assumed that position last month, said his agency plans to use the money for normal operating expenses during the year. The grant will help to pay for several projects, including various paving, window replacements and a stream bed excavation near a development.

Editor Michael Jones contributed to this story.