Kensington
from page A1
has made it unrecognizable
even to those who lived there
during the apartment's lean
and mean years.
Now with about 50 swanky
units in the remodeled commu
nity, now known as
Kensington Village, ready for
rental, the biggest reconstruc
tion project yet has begun:
convincing would-be residents
that Forest Ridge is dead and
buried.
"This is by far the best
rental property on the East
side," bragged Property
Manager Robin Carpenter.
"Everything here is new, from
the plumbing to the electrical
systems."
There was a coming out
party over the weekend for the
new complex featuring free
food, music, games for kids
and guided tours of the new
units, which boast such ameni
ties as marble kitchen counter
tops and wall-to-wall carpet
ing. Dozens of people applied
for units in the community,
which will welcome its first
residents next month. Several
more phases of the community
are still under construction. By
the end of the year, the com
plex will offer 142 one, two
and three bedroom apartments
that will flank a community
center which will offer ameni
ties such as a fitness center,
swimming pool and a lounge
with a flat-screen television.
Units range from $470 a
month to $725. ?
The Finch Group, a Boca
Raton, Fla. -based property
development and management
company, was given the reigns
of Forest Ridge Apartments by
the City of Winston-Salem
three years ago. The complex
had become so dilapidated and
problem-plagued that it was
shut down in the summer of
2005. The city contracted with
The Finch Group with the
understanding that the compa
ny, using a combination of
public and private funds,
would provide a 180-degree
turnaround for the complex.
Samuel Fast, a regional
property manager for Finch,
said the company has had sim
ilar challenges before and
passed with flying colors. He
pointed to one of the compa
ny's biggest success: the con
version of a notorious
Cleveland, Ohio apartment
complex into Arbor Park, a
community of chic town
homes. flats and apartments.
"We are very excited about
what is going to happen here
(at Kensington)," said Fast.
Each applicant will have to
go through a stern screening
process, which includes crimi
nal background and credit
checks. Unlike Forest Ridge,
which was once a Housing
Authority of Winston-Salem
property. Section 8 or other
rental subsidies will not be
accepted. The Finch Group
envisions a complex filled
with teachers, public safety
officers and other profession
als. The new Atkins High
School and Petree Elementary
School are but a hop, skip and
jump from the complex.
"We had several teachers
come over and fill out applica
tions," Carpenter said. "One of ^
them said that moving here
would save her $200 a month
on gas."
Aleshia Archie stopped by
to tour the complex after she
left church on Sunday. Archie
had passed by Forest Ridge
many times over the years.
"They looked nothing like
this!" she said, comparing the
old with the new.
Archie is in the market for
a better community in which to
raise her children, and
Kensington Village looked like
a place that could fulfill that
desire.
"I want a place that is safe
for them, a place where they
can play outside," she said.
Carpenter, a city native
who too was familiar with the
old Forest Ridge, says she is
not worried that the old com
plex's negative reputation will
hinder her in trying to fill
Kensington Village.
"Any type of negative per
ceptions or doubts that people
have had change the minuje
they walk through that door,"
she said, motioning to the
entrance of the complex's
model unit.
More information about
Kensington Village is avail
able at ww>v. kensingtonvil
lageapts.com or by calling the
complex office at 336-734
1776.
Pkuu by Kevin Walici
Aim Hamilton,
Joe Eldridge
and kids Kion
and Kayla were
among the fam
ilies that toured
the new com -
pie x over the
weekend. Here
the family
enjoys some of
the free food
that was avail
able during the
open house.
Gathering
from page A JO
capital, and we believe
this type of interaction is crit
ical for the sustainability of
Winston-Salem. A vibrant
Downtown Arts Center will be
a great venue for continued
collaboration from all mem
bers of the community," said
Keith Grandberry, President
of the Urban League.
There is no charge for the
event, and detailed plans will
be unveiled showcasing the
new Downtown Arts Center
which will include the current
Sawtooth Building, the AC
Delco building, and adjacent
property. Construction is
scheduled to begin in
November. There will be a
cash bar with light hors
d'oeuvres and jazz music pro
vided by NCSA students. This
event is for guests 21 and
over.
Stock Photo
Gas prices in the Triad have been near $4 for the past several
weeks and there is no relief in sight. ??
Drivers
from page XT' ~
week.
Moving to Winston was
never an option, she said,
because she wants to be near
her family. Van pooling is the
answer. Barker believes. She
uses a van owned by the
Piedmont Authority for
Regional Transportation
(PART), which is best known
for its bus service. But PART
also provides vans for people
looking to do van pools. Those
using the van pay a fee to
PART that covers the vehicle's
gas and maintenance. For
Barker's van, which v^ill trans
port six passengers and her-,
self, the cost is $103 per per
son per month. That's less than
a fourth jof what she paid for
gas.
"I'm very happy about
that," said Barker.
She is just one of thousands
of commuters registered online
at Share the Ride NG. The Web
site lets people quickly find
other commuters looking for
shared rides. Commuters enter
their location, work schedule
and contact information. They
can also indicate various pref
erences, such as if they prefer
to ride with a certain gender or
if they only want to commute
with people who work at the
same site as they do. Once reg
J
istered, the site lists the phone
numbers and e-mail addresses
of compatible commuters.
Last year, the free site
helped form an estimated
1,784 car and van pools. The
N.C. Department of
Transportation's Public
Transportation Division fund
ed the site's development in
2005 and continues to support
it. Miriam Perry, the division's
director, said the site has
grown in popularity as gas
prices have risen.
Perry said the site even
provides an alternative to pub
lic transportation, which many
have turned to as of late. She
says it has been a mixed bless
ing for some transit systems,
as they pay more and more for
gas in order to keep up with
the higher demand.
"While it's a great time for
(public) transit, it also puts a
strain on the budgets of the
transit systems with the
increase of service or increase
in capacity they're havirig to
provide for their customers."
said Perry.
Share the Ride continues to
grow as people rethink the way
they travel. This year, it has
seen a 22.7 percent increase in
registration. Perry expects the
site to keep growing as more
people continue to search for
shared commutes and relief
from the pumps.
Thompson will step in
for retiring Brewington
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
North Carolina Agricultural
and Technical State University
(.nance I lor Stanley I-.
Battle announced
Tuesday the appoint
ment of Agriculture
and Environmental
Sciences Dean Alton
Thompson as interim
provost and vice chan
cellor for academic
affairs. Thompson
will become the insti
tution's second high
est official July 1,
replacing Dr. Janice
G. Brewmgton, who retires June
30.
"Dr. Alton Thompson's out
standing performance as dean of
our award-winning School of
Agriculture and Environmental
Sciences has certainly prepared
him for this important new lead
ership role as chief academic
officer for N.C. A&T," Battle
said.
From his start as dean and
executive director for agricultural
programs in the School of
Agriculture and Environmental
Sciences at A&T in 2000,
Thompson has focused his ener
gies on raising the ?
School's academic
and administrative
performance to the
next level. His collab
orative, energetic,
and enthusiastic style
of leadership has
advanced the
School's student
enrollment, public
and private financial
support, and service
to local, national and
international communities. He
has also forged several successful
partnerships between the School
and other university units.
Thompson's academic spe
cialty is in the interface of statis
tics, research methods, demogra
phy, and rural sociology.
He received his bachelor's
degree from North Carolina
Central University and his mas
ter's and Ph.D. from The Ohio
State University.
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