City to vote on
New Hope Manor
assistance on Monday
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
The Winston-Salem
City Council will vote
Monday on a $1.6 million
loan for the Housing
Authority of Winston
Salem (HAWS) to pur
chase and rehabilitate New
Hope Manor.
This loan for the dis
tressed apartment complex
came before the council in
September, but was sent
back to committee because
of concerns about whether
the amount spent to rehab
the apartments would be
enough.
HAWS plans to demol
ish seven of the 18 build
ings there that are unfit for
habitation and rehabilitate
the remaining 79 units.
Director Larry Woods told
the council at the time that
the renovations would be
substantial not only to the
apartments but would also
make security improve
ments at the complex like
surveillance cameras.
During a Monday, Dec.
12, finance committee
meeting, Ritchie Brooks,
the city's director of com
munity and business devel
opment, said his staff had
confirmed that the renova
tions would be enough to
get the remaining apart
ments at or above building
code standards.
Woods described to the
committee conditions at
New Hope with squatters
and loiterers, cars coming
in and out from drug sales,
and trash that wasn't being
picked up regularly. He felt
Woods
HAWS could turn the com
plex into safe, quality
affordable housing
"We feel we can make
a difference here," he said.
The acquisition is part
of a larger plan for HAWS
to get a federal Choice
Neighborhoods grant that
would allow for the demo
lition of- New Hope and
Cleveland Avenues
Homes, and replace them
with small apartment
buildings, single family
homes and town homes.
The grant allows for exist
ing tenants to be relocated
with case management that
will help them with educa
tion and employment. If
this happens, New Hope
will be sold to a private
developer and the city will
be repaid. The nationally
competitive grant is award
ed annually. If HAWS
doesn't get it next year, it
would keep reapplying for
the grant.
The city loan would
come from 2014 general
obligation bonds with
$900,000 going for acqui
sition, which is a deferred
zero interest loan paid back
upon the sale or transfer of
the property. The rest is a
& " Plwto by Tevia Stimor
J ague Williams helps Brandon Stewart find the per
fect coat at the Winston-Salem Rescue Mission on
Tuesday, Dec. 6.
Local youth's art talents
keep children warm
with coat giveaway
BY TEV1N ST1NSON
mmaicLE.
Thanks to the artistic
talents of a sixth grader at
Clemmons High School
more than 200 children
received an early
Christmas gift when they
received a brand new coat
earner this week at the
Winston-Salem Rescue
Mission.
Marissa France has
always had a passion for art
so when her grandmother
Sue France saw an ad for
Burlington Stores' Warm
Coats and Warm Hearts
Coat Drive Art Contest she
thought it would be perfect
for her granddaughter. The
nationwide contest held
annually for the past
detade purpose is to find a
young superstar artist to
design a panel of the coat
donation box that are fea
Marissa is my eyes and
ears ate always open for art
contest," said Marissa's
grandmother."! was not
surprised that she did well
Stipe contest."
Although she didn't win
the grand prize and a guest
appearance on Good
Morning America as the
rftnner up Marissa was
awarded a gift certificate
and the opportunity to
donate 250 coats to the
non-profit organization of
her choosing. While speak
ing with The Chronicle at
the Winston-Salem Rescue
Mission where Marissa
decided to donate the coats.
the Tt{r and' Coming artist
said it felt good to give to
those in need especially
during the holidays.
"It feels good to know
that I was able to help a
bunch of kids stay warm
this winter," she said.
"Nobody wants to have a
bad Christmas. It's every
kid's dream to have a great
Christmas and it makes me
happy to know that I could
help."
During the coat give
away on Tuesday,
December 6 Marissa dis
cussed how she came up
with her idea for the draw
ing. She said after drawing
a number of sketches, she
decided to submit the
drawing of a hand holding
a heart made of various
colored coats because it
went best with the theme of
the contest.
Marissa's parents Kevis
and Susana France said
they were proud of their
daughters many accom
plishments. They men
tioned earlier this year she
won first place in a national
aviator contest, Marissa is
also an "A" honor roll stu
dent. g ?
Although her design
didn't make it to the dona
tion box be on the lookout
for Marissa France in an art
gallery near you, she has
already accumulated sever
al portfolios of her work
and seems confident that
her talents will only get
better.
"I've been doing art for
a long time and it's what I
do more than anything
else," smiled France.
zero interest loan that will
be deferred for 20 years,
but will have pilot pay
ments and include one unit
set aside for city use.
HAWS also plans to
use $1.2 million in other
loans to help with the total
acquisition cost, which is
$1.8 million, and with
rehabilitation, which will
cost $1.2 million. The cur
rent owners of the property
are New Hope Holdings,
which is owned by Nathan
Tabor, and Pinnacle
Properties of Randolph
County, which is managed
by Bobby Crumley. Both
will be taking a loss from
the sale, as will Carolina
Bank, which lent the two
companies money.
The finance committee
voted to send it to full
council, as did the general
governance committee.
"We need to vote this to
move ahead, or move on,
but if we do not support
this, we will leave some
people in a very serious sit
uation," said Mayor Pro
Tempore Vivian Burke.
Woods said that HAWS
would move quickly to
acquire New Hope, but
was unsure , when it would
close on the property.
Burke
The Housing Authority of Winston-Salem is hoping to acquire and rehabilitate
New Hope Manor with a loan from the city.
Photos by Todd Luck
- HOWffaREFRESHING
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