Page A2 Wlnstoa-Salem Oiromck Thursday, July 21, 1988
Agencies help elderly deal with heat wave
,
By VALERIE ROBACK GREGG
Chronicle Staff Writer
Crops are dying out west, cattle
are being slaughtered, the mercury
is hitting record-breaking tempera
tures in cities around the nation,
and Winston-Salem is not immune -
-especially the elderly population.
. Area residents, like 65-year-old
Ethel R. Veringo, who live alone
and suffer from respiratory and
heart problems must be especially
careful. If Veringo hadn’t received
an air conditioner courtesy of the
Crisis Control Ministry recently, the
heat could have cost her life.
Veringo's chronic breathing
problems, high blood pressure, and
heart problems require a constant
temperature of 68 degrees. The
numerous medications she must
lake make it extremely dangerous
for her body temperature to get too
high. She can't work because of
heart problems and is confined to a
wheelchair because a bone in her
leg is deteriorating.
And her $293-a-monih Social
Security check would not begin to
pay for the cost of an air condition
er. "It doesn't go far when you have
two $48 prescriptions to get," she
said.
Veringo is only one of the
county's needy, elderly and disabled
who need heat relief and cannot pay
for it.
Prolonged periods of heat can
aggravate a variety of medical
problems, especially for the elderly..
Dr. Lynn M. Hale, the medical
director of the Forsyth County Pub
lic Health Clinic, said that elderly
people with respiratory ailments are
often the hardest hit. "The elderly
exposed to high temperatures and
humidity for over two or three days
often develop a subtle and progres
sive dehydration," Hale said.
"They may not develop thirst. They
are often on medications, like
diuretics, for high blood pressure
and heart problems, which increase
the chance of heat stroke. They
increase heat production."
If the body is not cooled, the
heart is also stressed, she said.
Such stress can lead to heart attacks
and in extreme cases, heart failure.
"The remedy is to stay cool and
to continue to drink water, thirsty or
not," Hale said. "With the elderly it
may develop so slowly, they don’t
know it until it’s loo late. Preven
tion is the real thing."
And here's where Crisis Con
trol and the Forsyth County Depart
ment of Social Services come in.
Crisis Control distributes 20-inch
fans, which cost between $18 and
$20, to those without medical prob-
Black builder helping
restore part of past
By VALERIE ROBACK GREGG
Chronicle Staff Writer
An Afro-American developer
is helping the city finish plans to
redevelop an area of the city that
was levelled 20 years ago during
the days of urban renewal.
Marshall Isleris latest project is
Salem Pointe, a 43-unit housing
development south of Route 40
near Old Salem. His development
firm, Isler and Associates of
Durham, specializes in redevelop
ing barren land where condemned
houses once stood and were demol
ished. ”We specialize in public-
private partnerships,” Isler said.
Sales of the upscale, brightly
painted, moderate-income housing
at Salem Pointe began last week.
The development includes nine sin
gle-family patio homes and 34
duplexes, half with three bedrooms
and half with two bedrooms. A
variety of building designs are
available including cathedral ceil
ings, ceiling fans, sunken living
rooms, wood burning fireplaces,
self-cleaning ovens and private
courtyards.
The unique aspect of the devel
opment is the way it fits the average
budget, Isler said. "The objective
affordability is $22,000 a year," he
said. With the creative financing
available, Isler said a family could
make monthly payments of $441 on
a home or duplex.
To design quality as well as
affordability into the homes was
difficult, but remained a priority
throughout work on the project.
Efficient, creative and attractive use
of space helped the developer and
architect achieve their goal, Isler
said. "A lot of money and energy
went into quality, every unit is cus
tom designed," he said. "A lot of
money went into the landscaping.
We uy to work openness into the
homes so it feels a lot larger than it
is."
Isler said that buyers can have
a number of options, including
basements and sunrooms, built into
their homes if they have not yet
been constructed.
Hubbard Realty is handling
sales of the units, and Herman
Turner, of Turner Development Ser
vices, oversees daily construction,
sales, marketing and advertising.
Turner Development works on a
contractual basis and is based both
in Durham and Winston-Salem.
Isler is now plannin^^ai^^^
development in conjunctitSil^^K'
the city. An 80-unii redevelopment
project called Goshen Place will go
up in the city's Kimberly Park area
next vtar and will be targeted at
Isler
low- to moderate-income residents.
Although final negotiations with the
city have not been completed, Isler
said he is ready to start work. "It’s
up to the city to determine when
they'll have their part of the
money," Isler said.
The city must contribute a
grant for improvements to the site
and financing in order to make the
units affordable, Isler said, but he
estimates that work on the project
will begin next year.
Isler and Associates have com
pleted several other successful rede
velopment projects including
Rolling Hills in Durham. A devel
opment in Chapel Hill to be called
for a project in Charlotte.
Isler grew up in Kinston, N.C.,
graduated with an engineering
degree from Howard University,
worked 16 years for the Navy
Department and then served as
president of a consttuction manage
ment firm. From there, he moved
into the residential development
business.
Robinson: Target funds for the arts
State Senate Candidate. Vernon
Robinson, suggests that legislation
proposed to the General Assembly
to increase arts funding should be
targeted such that 25 percent of the
funds are aimed at art programming
that directly impacts on the Afro-
American community. Slate arts
lunding may not be as fairly dis
tributed as it might be, according to
Robinson. The 25 percent figure is
proportionate to the state's Afro-
American population. The arts
appropriation measure seeks fund
ing that is roughly equivalent to a
dollar per person in North Carolina.
"Increasing arts funding from $3
1/2 million to $6 million can only
be fully justified if all segments of
the community can participate and
enjoy equally the benefits, "says
Robinson.
"Historically, the arts have
bridged the gaps between seeming
ly distant cultures, Fot airts. to^v
effective in terms''of social
exchange, each culture must partici
pate. "
lems who can prove a genuine
financial need.
Crisis Control Ministry is now
distributing air conditioners and
fans to low-income individuals and
families. Crisis Control has dis
tributed 30 air conditioners and 93
fans so far this summer, more than
twice the number distributed last
summer, James T, Fatzinger, associ
ate director of Crisis Control Min
istry, said Tuesday.
Low-income families and indi
viduals can qualify for a fan,
depending upon need and the sup
ply of fans. To qualify for an air
conditioner, recipients must be on a
limited or fixed income and submit
a medical form signed by a doctor.
"On faith we'll receive the
funds, we’ve had to order ahead
twice so far," Fatzinger said. "Our
hottest months are ahead of us, and
September's no picnic. The heat
came early, and it came hard."
Crisis Control does not have
the supply of fans and air condition
ers to keep up with demand,
Fatzinger said. They now have
only six air conditioners left, and
anticipate demand to increase
through August and September.
The air conditioners and fans are
donated to Crisis Control Ministry,
and donations are needed immedi
ately.
Julia Davis, director of Social
Work Services, said people can
apply for housing and home
improvement grants when in need
of any necessary home appliance,
including air conditioners and fans.
A doctor's statement is necessary
and income eligibility is required,
similar to Crisis Control’s proce
dure. The appliances from Social
Services are paid for by a federal
block grant, and the Crisis Control
Ministry heat relief program is sup
ported by donations.
The Department of Social Ser
vices received additional money
this month for emergency cooling
equipment, Davis said. Through
the federal Crisis Intervention Ener
gy Program, those with life threat
ening or severe health problems can
receive air conditioners if they fall
into low-income brackets. "Some
times people with asthma or breath
ing problems are eligible," Davis
said.
A local resident tries to find some relief from the
tering temperatures.
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