11/20/2009 10:00:00 PM Prescott Valley program provides much-needed home improvements
Courtesy photos Oxbow Construction of Prescott did extension repairs to Charles Kester's property in Prescott Valley through a grant-financed program for low-income homeowners.
PRESCOTT VALLEY - Charles Kester and his late wife, Tania, moved from Prescott into a single-wide mobile home on Dowling Court here 13 years ago after he fully retired.
"We got a pretty good deal on it," Kester, 76, recalled Wednesday as he sat in his cramped living room. "We bought it free and clear" for $30,000.
The coach is now 32 years old, and needed repairs. Kester, who is retired from a career as a life and health insurance administrator, said he could not afford to pay for extensive repairs.
He said he learned from a newspaper article that the Prescott Valley Community Development Department is using $250,000 in grant money from the Arizona Department of Housing to finance home repairs for low-income homeowners. He contacted department staff, applied successfully and awaits completion of a project that started in July.
The Owner Occupied Housing Rehabilitation Program is designed to bring substandard housing up to building codes, said planner Ruth Mayday, who is overseeing the program for the town.
"I think we had over 100 applicants," Mayday said. "Probably over 70 met the income threshold."
The threshold is 80 percent of the median income for the area, Mayday said. For instance, the median income for a family of four is about $50,000 a year.
Mayday in conjunction with her co-workers whittled down the applicants, who are eligible for a maximum of $25,000 in repair work for homes and as much as $35,000 to replace a mobile home.
A building inspector determines whether a home meets the criteria for repairs and goes through the scope of work, which the town publishes in an invitation to bid, Mayday said.
"And we have a pre-bid walk-through," Mayday said. She explained regulations from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development limit aesthetic work because the main purpose of the repair work is health and safety.
"We have completed five projects," Mayday said. "We have got two that are pending (to replace mobile homes) and we have five that we have done the initial inspection."
The bid specifications from the town for repair work on Kester's home and yards cover two pages. They include installing a new kitchen sink and faucet, a new low-flow toilet, bathroom flooring and a natural gas furnace; replacing the bathroom window and water heater door; demolishing two wood sheds and a metal one and installing a 10-by-10 shed; and demolishing the rear porch and replacing it.
Town officials accepted a bid dated June 24 for $22,899 from Jurgen Vogl, owner of Oxbow Construction of Prescott. Oxbow applied successfully for a number of the home repair contracts, Mayday said.
Vogl said he submitted bids to do the home repairs because they amount to "work with a purpose," and not because of the continuing housing slump.
"What we are doing is helping somebody in a situation where we are improving their home, and most of the work is code and safety upgrades and repairs," Vogl said.
Vogl said Kester's home was "not livable," the bathroom was "almost unusable" and the cabinet in the bathroom neared disintegration.
He said his crew cleaned up the front and back yards and covered the surface with decomposed granite because the ground was muddy and rutted.
"And we provided manpower to help him (Kester) sort through his things and throw them away," Vogl said. "The house was just cluttered. The (back) yard was cluttered. This weekend we are going to have somebody come in and shampoo the rug and have a team come in and clean the house."
Kester said Oxbow has done an "absolutely great" job on his coach.
"They were very respectful and conscientious about the quality of the work," he said. "(The project) rehabilitates the property in a core older neighborhood of Prescott Valley," Kester said.
He said the improvements will enable him to continue to stay in his house as long as he can live independently. His wife of 24 years died about six months ago after a long illness.
"I hope more people learn about this (program) and take advantage of this," he said.
