Valley Terrace occupancy delayed by mold problem

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Waynesboro,PA

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Valley Terrace occupancy delayed by mold problem

By Fitch The Record Herald

http://www.therecordherald.com/articles/2005/08/20/local_news/news02.

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The new Valley Terrace townhomes in Waynesboro cannot be occupied

until crews remove mold from sections of the basements.

WAYNESBORO - More than two years after plans first went before

Waynesboro Borough Council, the Valley Terrace townhouses in the

southwestern portion of the borough are not open to potential

residents.

Mold removal

Mold is affecting ventilation in crawl spaces in basements and the

process to rid the basements of that mold has taken about two

months, according to Ben Newcomer, vice chairman of lin County

Housing Authority and chairman of Valley Housing Development Corp.

" We had to diagnose what type of mold it was, " he said. Then, there

were tests needed to determine the best method to eradicate it.

Newcomer said Tuckey Restoration Inc. of Carlisle will be removing

portions of walls, some up to four feet.

He said the townhomes should be ready for occupancy in a few weeks.

The townhomes, behind Mount Vernon Terrace in Wayne Gardens, were

scheduled to open late last year for low- to moderate-income

tennants. The tract of land has been owned by the lin County

Housing Authority since the 1950s.

The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency provided about $2.6 million

in funding for the project, which was completed by Waynesboro

Construction Co. The architect was UpStreet Architects Inc. based in

Indiana, Pa.

There are four buildings with five or six townhouses in each. The

mold is primarily affecting two of the buildings.

" There's some issues they have to address, " said Crum, who

does building inspections in Waynesboro.

Low-rent townhouses

Valley Housing Development Corp.'s plans for the townhouses indicate

14 units were to have two bedrooms and eight were to have three

bedrooms.

The two-bedroom units were planned at 1,272 square feet each, and

the three-bedroom units were designed at 1,640 square feet each.

Interior amenities include open floor plans and central air

conditioning.

Residents of the townhomes were to be chosen on a first-come, first-

served basis.

Newcomer said a number of people have applied to live in the new

townhouses.

Rent for the two-bedroom units is supposed to be based on 40, 50 or

60 percent of the renters' median income. If the family income falls

within the 40 percent range, then rent for a two-bedroom unit is

supposed to be just more than $300 a month.

Rent for the three-bedroom units is to be based on 50 to 60 percent

of the median income.

The renter's income can range from $17,200 to $37,440, depending

upon the number of people in the household and how many bedrooms are

in the unit.

The 2003 edition of the Pennsylvania County Data Book, compiled

largely from data gathered during the 2000 U.S. Census, showed

residents of Waynesboro had the lowest median income in lin

County at $31,574.

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