To the editor:

I am writing to urge Town Council approval of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application for improving the heating systems at Quaker Manor and Quaker Estates. The application will be on the agenda for consideration at the Dec. 9 council meeting. 

The Portsmouth Housing Authority (PHA) oversees Quaker Manor and Quaker Estates located at 2368 East Main Road. These housing units comprise nine separate buildings encompassing 73 HUD-subsidized apartments for the elderly and disabled. We have invested over $1 million in recent repairs and upgrades to half the units, but this has exhausted our available resources for the foreseeable future, and we have significant work remaining. One of the most pressing operational issues we have facing us is the replacement of obsolete, inefficient heating systems in all the buildings. Our residents suffered numerous system failures over the past winters, and it is imperative we upgrade the entire system. This task will require $500,000 in new investment to replace or upgrade the existing systems servicing our seventy-three housing units. 

As chair of the PHA, I fully support this CDBG application. The local and statewide issue with lack of adequate housing, especially for our senior citizens, is well established. This application for a federal public facilities grant involves no local investment from the town and is immensely important to our ongoing efforts to improve the quality of life for our Portsmouth seniors. Further, it aligns with our comprehensive community plan, and the state initiatives to improve and expand public housing availability for all who need it. 

I offer my strongest endorsement for approval of this grant application. It will cost Portsmouth taxpayers nothing and will allow us to implement essential improvements to our housing facilities that will effectively meet the needs of our most vulnerable community members. 

Jim Seveney

Chair, Portsmouth Housing Authority

Portsmouth