Officials eyeprojects upgrade

By Joe Pinchot
Herald Staff Writer

Mercer County Housing Authority officials said they have no preconceived notions about what work should be done to modernize the exteriors of Sharpsville Gardens.

At a public meeting, Thursday, officials threw out several possibilities and found some support for each.

The authority is in the planing process to use its annual allotment of modernization money — about $1.3 million — but suggested it could consider redevelopment along the lines of what is proposed for Steel City Terrace in Farrell, which could go so far as demolishing existing structures and building new ones.

A Steel City-style project would likely require a mixture of federal and private funding, and the work would be several years off.

Mercer County Commissioner Olivia Lazor said she liked the idea of reconfiguring the community, calling the existing layout not conducive to raising healthy families.

Authority Executive Director L. DeWitt Boosel said a downside to that option would be losing some of the town’s affordable housing — Sharpsville Gardens has 60 units — when the federal government is not building any more. He added that some of the loss could be made up with more Section 8 housing, in which people receive a federal subsidy to live in privately owned housing.

Officials added that Sharpsville Gardens does not have the problems with crime that some other authority apartment communities have, is close to businesses and is in a good section of town. “These are the only apartments we have (in Sharpsville) and they stay filled,” said Occupancy Director Holly Nogay.

Stepping back from redevelopment, the authority could do what it is planning for Malleable Heights in Sharon: giving residents more control of their space through porches and small courtyards, and sprucing up the buildings with new siding and painting the brick to try to get rid of the barracks-style look.

“We want to blend more in the community,” Boosel said. “We don’t want to stick out as public housing as we do now.”

Borough Manager Michael Wilson said he liked the basic modernization ideas and suggested putting up a fence around the community to better establish it as a residential section, as opposed to the businesses that surround it.

The lone resident to attend the meeting, Jolene Dunlap, suggested putting in a play area for older children to give them something to do and keep them from tearing up the grass around the apartments.

The authority is committed to replacing the old playground equipment, Boosel said, but it will be several years before Sharpsville Gardens’ playground is worked on. The authority will likely hold another public meeting in April or May.

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Officials eye projects upgrade

Officials eyeprojects upgrade