Authored by: Genie on Friday, November 18 2011 @ 02:37 AM GMT+4

Notes from the Rez came out of Hayes Court specifically. Tomaidth--you claim to represent the Brattleboro Housing Authority Board. Respectfully, stick to your adminstrative language which is "U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development: Public & Indian Housing." The Melrose residents can speak for themselves here if they would like. I will not allow you to co-opt my past theme. That's just too Orwellian for this public forum--or any forum.

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Wonders Never Cease.

Authored by: tomaidh on Friday, November 18 2011 @ 01:27 PM GMT+4

If you wish to protect ownership of your phrase, you need to get a Copyright.

Authored by: Genie on Saturday, November 19 2011 @ 06:47 PM GMT+4

I trademarked it with the State of Vermont. I'll send you the bill.

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Wonders Never Cease.

Authored by: Genie on Friday, November 18 2011 @ 03:03 AM GMT+4

Why is it not possible to find safe, secure, mold-free housing in Brattleboro for 20 displaced BHA residents when the residents at Hayes Court were assured over and over and over that there would be plenty of quality housing for 76 displaced BHA residents when they received the 90-day vacate notice (pre-demolition) in January 2012 ??

How can there be BOTH displaced BHA tenants living in motels AND plenty of quality housing in Brattleboro simultaneously? January is appox. six weeks from now.

Does anyone have the answer to this?


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Wonders Never Cease.

Authored by: louc on Friday, November 18 2011 @ 03:32 AM GMT+4

No one is saying that there isn't housing. But these people don't want
new housing, they want to go home. They prefer to wait until the DRB
makes a decision before making any committment to alternitive
housing.

I've said this before and I'll say it again, the situation at Melrose has
nothing to do with Hayes Court or any project planned for Hayes
Court, so stop trying to confuse the issues.

Authored by: Genie on Friday, November 18 2011 @ 11:52 AM GMT+4

Melrose Terrace & Hayes Court are both projects under the umbrella of Brattleboro Housing Authority. They have everything to do with each other as they are both administered by the same organization out of the same pot of money.

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Wonders Never Cease.

Authored by: louc on Friday, November 18 2011 @ 02:05 PM GMT+4

Melrose and Hayes may be under the same BHA
umbrella, but again, let's be honest here. You've
been trying to publicize your displeasure with the
project planned for Hayes Court by tying it to the
flood at Melrose. The two complexes may have
many commonalities, but these two issues have
nothing to do with one another.

Authored by: Genie on Friday, November 18 2011 @ 03:07 PM GMT+4

"Displeasure" was not the motivating factor. The motivating factors were logic-based.

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Wonders Never Cease.

Authored by: tomaidh on Saturday, November 19 2011 @ 07:10 PM GMT+4

<<<How can there be BOTH displaced BHA tenants living in motels AND plenty of quality housing in Brattleboro simultaneously? >>>
Does anyone have the answer to this?

I suspect you don't really want an answer to this, but here it is anyhow:
Of the 20 remaining displaced tenants, some six have accepted the BHA's offer for alternative housing.
The remainder are patiently awaiting the DRB's final resolution of this issue.

Authored by: louc on Friday, November 18 2011 @ 03:13 AM GMT+4

Wouldn't it be nice if you had as much concern for the homeless
Melrose residents as you do for some silly catch phrase you invented.
This is not about a snarky phrase, it's about people, real people, whose
lives have been and continue to be in limbo. Nice folks who don't
have a home, who won't be home for Thanksgiving and probably not
for Christmas either. Stop gloating that it didn't happen at Hayes Court
and show some compassion. They would if it happened to you.

Authored by: Genie on Friday, November 18 2011 @ 11:49 AM GMT+4

What are you talking about, louc? I am the person who stood before the BHA Board during this past summer--before the flooding--and asked, "Are you not concerned with the Melrose residents who are more likely to be flooded in the future than are the residents of Hayes Court?" Marshall Wheelock responded loud and clear, "HUD cares about buildings, not about people." (I can look up the exact date of that meeting if you would like, louc.) I was concerned about the safety of the Melrose residents long before you were!

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Wonders Never Cease.

Authored by: annikee on Friday, November 18 2011 @ 01:11 PM GMT+4

That's not how it comes across, though, Genie. Read back thru some of your commentary. Harsh, not compassionate.

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veritas fortis vocat

Authored by: louc on Friday, November 18 2011 @ 01:48 PM GMT+4

No, you weren't concerned about Melrose residents,
so don't try to mask it as such. Be honest, all you
were trying to do was get the project moved
somewhere else and not have it at Hayes Court. It
had nothing to do with concern for the residents.

As to the statement Mr. Wheelock made, using part
of a statement out of context makes a good sound
bite, but doesn't always give the entire picture. HUD
may seem to value property over people, but the
BHA doesn't ascribe to that credo. It's been quite
obvious, especially within the last year, that the first
priority of the BHA is the people and only the
people.

Authored by: babalu on Saturday, November 19 2011 @ 03:04 PM GMT+4

I don't think it's fair to tell someone else how they
were "feeling" or what they may have been thinking.
It's impossible to know, actually.

Aside from that, when a person is deemed to be
"harsh" I think there's more to be learned from
asking why s/he appears to be angry or impatient (or
whatever the case may be).

I think there has been much more of "harsh"
delivered to Genie than has come from her - and her
feelings likely have a great deal to do with trying to
make sense out of nonsense... as in, it's nonsense
to tear down attractive, functional affordable housing
to replace it with an alternative form of housing.

I would ask people to try and put themselves in the
same situation as those they criticize. I don't know
what I would do if I had just barely gotten my life
back together, for example, and started my own
business and had just started to settle into what
things I'd have to look forward to, only to have an
authority tell me I'm about to face eviction. Not a
big deal when there are plenty of vacancies and tons
of support coming from the community - but a very
stressful situation of there being no light at the end
of the tunnel. In that situation, people should not
be asking the one who owns that reality to prove they
"care" about others who in fact are able to see their
future, have the support of the entire community in
their plight, and aren't then scolded for their upset or
stress by the rest of the world in the interim.

We will soon have no affordable housing left in this
town; which could possibly be the goal. It seems to
be an increasingly state-wide situation. Vermont.
Eugenics. Playland for the rich. I begin to believe
it's all true.

Be fair!

Authored by: babalu on Saturday, November 19 2011 @ 03:07 PM GMT+4

...and I wouldn't feel entirely secure at Melrose, either.
They may be working to bring folks back, but I'm
waiting for the other shoe to drop. If not this year,
next.

Authored by: louc on Sunday, November 20 2011 @ 04:49 AM GMT+4

No one is challenging Genie’s right to feel the way she does about the Hayes Court project. If one has been reading her posts for the last five or so months, she’s made it quite evident that she is displeased, unhappy, angry or whatever you want to call it about the project, so to categorize her feelings as such is perfectly legitimate. No one is questioning her reasons or her right to feel the way she does. What is being challenged here is her attempt to obfuscate the issues of Melrose Terrace with those of Hayes Court. There are major differences between what is happening at each complex and they are not at all connected. If she wants to continue to vent about Hayes, she should start a new Hayes Court thread and not muddle the separate issues by trying to merge them into one.

The people of Melrose were displaced from their homes with no notice, many losing valued possessions. They didn’t have months to plan for this. They didn’t have new homes ready for them to move into. Most, who are still displaced, are homeless and in limbo, caught in the middle of something they don’t understand. The situation has been, and continues to be, extremely distressing, both physically and mentally, to all concerned,

This is the opposite of what has happened at Hayes Court. There is a light at the end of the tunnel no matter what you have been led to believe. The residents were notified almost a year in advance about the move Until the project was put on hold due to the Melrose crisis, there was a team working with the residents to help them find new housing and arrange (and pay) for their moves. No one would have to handle this on their own. They were also assured that the project would not start until every single resident had found new equivalent housing. There would be no homelessness. When this was first announced, most of the residents were shocked, but very quickly accepted and even welcomed it. Yes, there are still a few who are resisting the project and are still distressed, but their situation cannot in any way, shape or form be compared to what has happened to the residents at Melrose.

You call the buildings at Hayes Court functional when they are anything but. It’s not nonsense to replace them; a lot of thought went into the decision. They may look good on the outside and may still be livable to some, but they are not functional for most of the elderly and physically disabled people that they are intended for. Many of the apartments are efficiencies and difficult to rent. The buildings all have two stories, and the stairs, which for many, is a major issue. Some buildings have closet-sized lifts, but the elevator codes have changed, and lifts can no longer be installed or replaced. Only larger elevators, the size of which will hold a gurney, can now be installed and there is no space in any of the buildings that will accommodate an elevator of that size. The construction of the stick-build buildings is, shall we say, not substantial. If the complex had been flooded during Irene (and long-time residents confirm that there was major flooding in that location prior to the buildings being erected), the buildings would probably not have survived. There’s also no guarantee that in the next big storm, this location won’t be the one hit (especially with the new berms that have been built upstream). There’s no fire protection, no sprinklers and it would be impossible to retrofit them. A few weeks ago, there was a fire in the Highrise. Due to the sprinklers and other fire safety measures, residents were able to easily evacuate, the fire was contained to one apartment, with a couple of other apartments receiving water damage. That was it. Can you imagine what would have happened if the fire had occurred at Hayes? It would easily have spread throughout an entire building destroying all apartments in its wake.

If I’m counting correctly, 76 of the 80 apartments at Melrose are one story and handicapped accessible. The buildings are solid brick and judged by a prominent engineering firm to be substantially sound. In the last twenty years (and some say it’s been longer), there has been only one occasion in which flood waters breached any of the apartments. In that instance, four or five apartments received a trickling of water which was easily mopped up and caused no appreciable damage. Like many other buildings in town that have never been flooded before, the damage caused by Irene was mainly to the insulation and wallboard on the lower walls. Easily fixed.

No one is disputing the fact that in the not so distant future, something has to be done at Melrose Terrace to prevent future flooding. However, it’s an important, much needed, affordable housing option for the elderly and disabled. Decisions on the future should not be made in haste, while still in crisis mode. Closing four buildings containing twenty apartments without a thorough review of measures that can be taken is inexcusable. Other alternatives need to be looked at before a decision is made. There are many experts, especially since Katrina, who specialize in protecting vulnerable properties from flooding, and there should be an opportunity to explore these options before this housing is lost forever.

Authored by: annikee on Friday, November 18 2011 @ 01:14 PM GMT+4

That LTTE was written by our own Princess Wendy! Thanks again to everyone who helped me and the other 5 lucky residents who got to come home. I'll do my best to get to the Monday DRB meeting.

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veritas fortis vocat