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Planning continues for the Buckeye Fields project which will provide 64 single-family homes for low-income seniors in Washington County.
When complete, the $ 9.1 million project will include the one-story modular homes and an administration / communal building on 25 acres of land near the Washington County House.
Flite Freimann, director of employment and family services for Washington County, and Rick Hindman, deputy executive director of Buckeye Hills Regional Council, decided to create a nonprofit called Buckeye Hills Support Services to manage the project, as both JFS and Buckeye Hills were government agencies. Buckeye Hills leased the land to the Washington County Commission.
Freimann said they are trying to wrap up the final construction figures and final construction plans so they can get a construction loan.
“There are still a few things to sort out. One is the tap app to access the city’s sewer system, †he said.
“We are working with Reno to set up the water system. We have already worked with AEP to move the power line and extend it and we just need to finalize these last utilities.
He said the Dominion Gas lines should be relocated because it “Arrives exactly where our road is going to go.” “
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One of the concerns they are addressing is access to both the County House and the proposed Buckeye Fields houses.
“Deanna Green, the County House Administrator, and (County Engineer) Roger Wright have long had real concerns about access. If you’ve been there it’s on a ridge. It makes a curve and it’s on the ridge, then Mount Tom Road and the access point are just sort of offset â€, said Freimann. “We were very lucky not to have had an accident there. But to be honest with you, it’s more about when, not if.
He said part of the appeal of Buckeye Fields has always been that service providers and service coordinators would be brought in, as there would be 40-60 residents at the county home, as well as 60 residents at Buckeye Fields. .
“You would have at least 100, but probably closer to 120 seniors. So some of these old people will be able to drive, which increases traffic there â€, he said. “But we’re going to have a lot more service providers, people from Passport (Adult Protective Services), people from Meals on Wheels, people from the O’Neill Center, all these people coming over there.â€
He said they were trying to find a better point of access to the county’s home for employees and service providers.
“The FedEx truck, the Amazon truck, the CVS truck, all of these individuals can get in and out quickly without endangering anyone.” he said. “And that all residents, whether they are in Buckeye Fields or the county home, can walk around the property without fear of being affected.”
Green said residents and staff at the county house were anxiously awaiting the work.
“It’s amazing. They said they were so excited about the start of the opportunities ahead,” she said.
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Wesbanco, the construction loan lender, is also excited to get the project off the ground, but it has been difficult to get final figures as prices for building materials have fluctuated, Freimann said.
“Every time we get a quote, we get a number. Then the guy calls back the next day and says “I have bad news, the 2 by 4 prices have doubled” “ said Freimann.
They are still on the right track because the inauguration and the construction are two different concepts for the project.
“We hope to be able to do the earthworks again later this fall and the preparation”, he said. “And by building modular homes off-site, one of the benefits is that in December and January, we can still build them in Dayton, in the hope that as spring arrives with the final thaw in March, we can install them. in place. We’re still on track for the first residents to move in in June 2022, so we feel really good about that. “
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It has been nice to work with Washington Morgan Community Action as they issue a request for proposal for individuals to get good HUDs, he said.
“We work on both sides” said Freimann. “Community Action helps us with HUD vouchers, then the Ohio Housing Finance Authority came up with a second round of tax credits. All of the state’s low-income housing projects, the 39 funded projects, faced the same problem of labor shortages and material costs.
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Wesbanco has the construction loan and at the end of the day the project costs will be more than the tax credit coverage, he said.
“We’re talking about a 20 percent mortgage on this. Thus, Settlers Bank will make up this difference between the final cost of the project and what the tax credits are.
“So we’re at about $ 8.1 million in total construction costs, and we’re getting about 89 cents on the dollar on tax credits, which is actually very, very good for a first project.” said Freimann.
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A big project before construction can begin is earthworks, he said.
“We have a lot of land to move. We have to build a road and it’s a lot of compaction â€, said Freimann. “This land has been farmland since 1788. It has always been farmland, so it’s good in the sense that we can fit into it, but it hasn’t been compacted. It’s difficult because those first six to 18 inches are really relatively soft earth.
Michele Newbanks can be contacted at [email protected].
In short :
¯ Infrastructure planning is being finalized for the Buckeye Fields project.
¯ The project will include 64 single-family homes for seniors in Washington County.
The homes will be built on land near the Washington County Home.
Source: time research.
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