Agenda - 10-23-2007-4h - Laserfiche WebLink

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ter: RECD auG o s z~o~ FIRST BAPTIST & MANI.,EY ESTA'T'ES 'I O6 N. RC)BERStJN STREET CHAPEL HI1~L, NC 275'I S REV. DR. J.R. MANLEY, PRESIDENT BOARD OF" DIRECTORS July 30, 2007 Ms. Laura Blackmon, Manager Orange County P.O. Box 8181 Hillsborough, NC 27278 Re: First Baptist and Manley Estates Senior Housing Dear Ms. Blackmon: This is to request the support of tl~e County in improving the safety and the capacity of the parking Iot at First Baptist and Manley Estates (FBME} for residents, visitors and senior service providers. As you may know, FBME is a prof ect that was initiated by First Baptist Church of Chapel Hill and assisted by the County and Towns in obtaining a HUD 202 Project grant to construct 40 apartments for senior citizens in this area. The project is more than five years old and has been fully occupied since its development. The Board of Directors of First Baptist and Manley Estates recognized over two years ago that the capacity of the parking lot was too small in spite of the bus stop near the property. While we have encouraged residents and visitors to use public transportation as often as possible, the parking lot capacity and use continues to be a risk to the safety of all groups, especially the elderly residents of the facility. Therefore, we are asking the County to assist FBME by making a grant to us in the amount of $85,000 to expand and make the parking lot safe for usexs and residents. FBME currently houses 41 senior residents and is managed via contract by Pendergraph Management LLC, a company experienced in managing senior residential facilities in several states. There are a total of 21 parking spaces provided at FBME. the facility offers a number of programs and services for the residents of FBME, including case management and social services by Orange County through an annual contract for services. This support staff is in need of parking spaces. The support staff includes the Site Manager, maintenance person, cleaning person, Service Coordinator, 3 Home Health Aides, and mailman. Consequently a variety of service providers frequents the facility via vehicle and has difficulty finding an acceptable parking spot. In addition, visitors of residents present a regular problem due to the small number of marked spaces. While few FBME residents own or use cars, vehicles are the mast frequent option used by resident visitors. The compactness and size of the lot has contributed to several near miss accidents in the lot over the last few years. Additionally, there are currently eight members of the board of directors, which meets bi-monthly. They. as well as the Pendergraph Management representative almost always have difficulty finding a parking spot when attending meetings at the facility.