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Senior Housing Project Hosts Groundbreaking Ceremony Goal for Fort Fairfield Citizens to Age in Place Soon to be Realized Fort Fairfield Journal, September 19, 2012 FORT FAIRFIELD - The Fort Fairfield Residential Development Corporation (FFRDC) recently conducted the groundbreaking ceremony for "The Meadows", a 25 Unit Elderly Housing Project in Fort Fairfield. President of FFRDC, Greg Murchison stated, "After much work we have finalized the engineering and secured the funding to begin construction. Along with the construction of the future health clinic on an adjacent property, this will allow our community members to age in place. This is great for Fort Fairfield."This project, which has been approved by the Maine State Housing Authority in their 4% Tax Credit Application process held back in September 2011, will be located off of Presque Isle St at 16 Harmony Lane (soon to be constructed) in Fort Fairfield and will have 5 - two bedroom units and 20 - one bedroom units.Fourteen of the units in the building will be ADA accessible while the other eleven units will be ADA adaptable. The purpose of this project is to provide affordable housing opportunities to the seniors in our community. Individuals with income levels at or below 60% area median income will be eligible to rent at “The Meadows”. Currently those rates are $22,800 for singles and $26,040 for couples and applications are now being accepted for occupancy. “This took a total collaborative effort from several in our community to pull it off,” stated Dan Foster Town Manager of Fort Fairfield. “ The need was identified through our Investment Strategy process a few years ago and the Town and the Housing Authority began its work. The need for people who grew up and lived in Fort Fairfield their whole lives only to have to leave once they got up in years was a real shame. Now with this much needed elderly housing and a new clinic they can age right here in their hometown.” The engineering firm B.R. Smith and Associates of Presque Isle have designed this facility and J.P. Martin and Sons Construction Company from Caribou has been selected as the general contractor. The construction schedule should allow for occupancy around late summer 2013. The total project cost is $4,220,534 which includes a construction cost of $3,120,949.00 or S124,838 per unit. The remaining $1,099,585 includes the land purchase, infrastructure upgrades, architectural & engineering, legal, pre -development costs, development fees and the initial operating reserve fund.The developer for the project is the Town of Fort Fairfield who has engaged Coastal Enterprises Inc. (CEI) as a consultant on the project. CEI was the developer for the Houlton tax credit project, Market Square Commons, which opened July 2010. Wayne Troicke, Executive Director of Fort Fairfield Housing Authority Explained, “CEI has been working with us for three years on the application process. They will now be working as a consultant during the development stage of the project. The involvement and planning of the development team and the community has been instrumental in achieving this long awaited goal.” For additional information and those interested in applying for residency are encouraged to contact the Fort Fairfield Housing Authority at 476 -5771.
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