Oakwood Village rehabilitation project moving forward

Affiliated Developers Inc. Executive Director Kirk Bruce said Monday at a public meeting that the Oakwood Village rehabilitation project is coming to a head, with Affiliated Developers planning to start work in April of next year with plans to have it completed by March of 2021.

"That is our intent with this project," he said.

Affiliated Developers Inc., a Michigan nonprofit corporation, announced last year the company was looking to purchase Oakwood Village Apartments, a 60-unit, a low-income residence that has not been significantly updated since its construction in 1979.

Since the corporation announced plans to rehabilitate Oakwood Village, it has applied for a number of government grants, tax credits, incentives and a number of other funding sources to fund the project, Bruce said. Last November, Affiliated Developers Inc. received $3,881,250 in tax credits from the state for acquisition and rehabilitation of Oakwood Village.

Part of the underwriting process for the different funding sources is very narrow and very tight, Bruce said. He added that Affiliated Developers is holding public meetings, in accordance with state statute, as part of an application for real estate tax exemption for the project and to hear public input or answer questions about the project.

Bruce said the construction schedule is tentative because the project has a number of moving parts and will be drawing from a number of different funding sources. 

He said Affiliated Developers is planning to start running advertisements in Havre and the surrounding area next month for bids from general contractors as well as sub-contractors for the project. He added that they will start accepting bids by the end of January.

He said some parts of the project have changed, including dropping a planned community building that would have provided a second location for the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line.

"Unfortunately, a few things came up unexpectedly," he said, saying Affiliated Developers does not have the funding for that project.

"It just doesn't seem like that's going to be a perfect fit for them or us at this point," he said, adding that it is still a possibility in the future.

He said Affiliated Developers is looking to update the playground area and do some landscaping and asphalt work on the property. The mission of the rehabilitation project is to make capital improvements to Oakwood Village, such as making the property visually appealing both externally and internally, and introduce some practical energy saving technology.

"Just a really nice place for the tenets to live," he said.

The project will include tearing out the current interior of the units and remodeling each unit, introducing some water-saving faucets, showers and toilets, adding LED lighting and adding solar panels to the roof of the buildings. 

"Hopefully, when it's all set and done, it will be something the community can be real proud of and ourselves, also," he said.

Bear Paw Development Corp. Executive Director Paul Tuss said that he wanted to applaud Affiliated Developers and Bruce for their efforts to accomplish the goal of rehabilitating Oakwood Village.

"We really appreciate your involvement in this, we appreciate your investment in this and, I think, it's going to make a fairly significant difference in maintaining an appropriate housing stock, particularly for low and moderate income individuals in the community," Tuss said.

He said it is obvious of the impact the project will have for the community.

"It's a big deal," Tuss said in an interview. "No community anywhere can afford to lose housing units. One of the key drivers of economic development is housing; one of the key drivers of workforce development is housing."

He added that the project is very large and complex and the changes that have been made over the past year are normal for any project of this size.

"It would be more odd if the project did not change over time," he said.