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2 <br /> 1 <br /> 2 II. Community Home Trust <br /> 3 <br /> 4 - Housing Bond Program- Greenbridge <br /> 5 <br /> 6 Tara Fikes, Housing/CD Director, said there is a letter in the Commissioners' packet, <br /> 7 dated Dec. 18th from Robert Dowling of the Community Home Trust (CHT). She noted that this <br /> 8 is one of two letters asking that a portion of the county bond funds be set aside for anticipated <br /> 9 repairs at the Greenbridge Condominiums in Chapel Hill. She said that this property was one of <br /> 10 the inclusionary developments and has 15 condos that were sold to low income households. It <br /> 11 was later discovered that the HVAC systems installed there are problematic, no longer under <br /> 12 warranty, and very costly to replace. She said that the thought is that if some repairs can be <br /> 13 done, the units may last longer. She referred to a letter from Attorney David Brooks, explaining <br /> 14 what happens in the event of foreclosure and its impact on the warranties. She said that it has <br /> 15 been requested that $75,000 be set aside for these anticipated repairs <br /> 16 Commissioner Rich asked if these units will be replaced with longer lasting units that are <br /> 17 not as costly to repair. <br /> 18 <br /> 19 Commissioner Gordon arrived at 6:08 PM . <br /> 20 <br /> 21 CHT Executive Director Robert Dowling said that the problem is that the units are no <br /> 22 longer being made and when some units at Greenbridge broke down, someone cannibalized <br /> 23 the parts from the unsold units to fix them. This meant that when those units were sold, the <br /> 24 cannibalized units had to be replaced with a compatible system. He said that compatible <br /> 25 replacements will be more reliable, but not as efficient. <br /> 26 Chair Jacobs asked how much is being spent per existing units to fix the systems and <br /> 27 how many units $75,000 will cover. <br /> 28 Robert Dowling said 15 units will be fixed. He said new systems costs around <br /> 29 $11,000/unit now but will likely cost more in the future when replacement is needed. He said <br /> 30 the $75,000 is being requested with the thought that it will provide a $5,000 down payment <br /> 31 toward the future cost of a new unit for each of those 15 units. <br /> 32 Chair Jacobs asked if this will proactively replace all 15 or just the ones not functioning. <br /> 33 <br /> 34 Robert said none will be replaced until necessary. <br /> 35 <br /> 36 Tara Fikes said the $75,000 will be used for repairs to extend the life of the units. <br /> 37 <br /> 38 Arthur Sprinczeles questioned how repairs can be made if parts are not available. <br /> 39 <br /> 40 Robert Dowling said it is complicated. He explained that the sensors can be replaced <br /> 41 and this had been done in several instances over the winter. He said that the vision was that <br /> 42 the $5000/unit x 15 units will be put into a stewardship fund, and when a unit breaks, the $5000 <br /> 43 can be put toward a new unit. <br /> 44 Commissioner McKee asked if there is any way to disassociate the individual units from <br /> 45 the linked system as they break, replacing them with new individual units. <br /> 46 <br /> 47 Robert Dowling said this can be looked into. <br /> 48 <br /> 49 Frank Clifton said the units were not selected by the county. The developer put "green" <br /> 50 units into the project and the county and town had no role in selection of this. He said this <br /> 51 situation should be considered in future discussions about housing inventory. <br /> 52 <br />