City Council hears update on public housing door project
By Jesse Deal | Stanly County Journal
ALBEMARLE –– At its first meeting of the year Monday, the Albemarle City Council was given an update on the Department of Public Housing’s replacement door project.
City of Albemarle maintenance supervisor Tony Poplin notified the council that the department’s plans are completely finished, and seven different contractors –– including one local business –– have expressed interest in working on the project.
The goal is for all 800 public housing units to receive brand–new exterior and interior doors as well as updated deadbolts.
On Jan. 22, the department will host the pre-bid conference at its office, and interested contractors will be given the labor and housing information. The actual bidding process will take place on Feb. 6, and the council will officially appoint a contractor at its Feb. 17 meeting.
Wayne Stogner of Stogner Architecture, a business based in Rockingham, is assisting the oversight of the development.
“We met with Wayne last Thursday to finalize everything for the project. As of this time, all the plans are 100% done,” said Poplin. “We’re now on track of getting it going, though we’re a little bit behind, because we were set back a couple of months.”
According to Poplin, the current lock systems that were put into the public housing units back in 2002 are beginning to wear out; the new hardware will be equivalent to a Schalge B560R IC deadbolt. Meanwhile, the replacement exterior doors will be flush-insulated steel entry styles with a heavier gage than what is presently installed.
“What percentage of the doors do you anticipate us being able to salvage?” Councilmember Dexter Townsend inquired.
Originally, the department was planning on refurbishing the Elizabeth Heights neighborhood to try to keep overall costs down to a minimum. That proposed process would have utilized methods such as repaneling, rewiring, sanding and painting.
“We’re not going to salvage any,” said Poplin. “That is because of our capital funds and seeing that we had more money than anticipated in our meeting Thursday.”
The updated plan now includes a new door for every site, though the department has not ruled out the refurbishing approach in case it does not have enough money to cover the entire bid. In the event that happens, an alternate deduct will be conducted by the city.
Depending on material delivery schedules, the actual construction of the project is tentatively slated to begin in April. By that point, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements will already be fulfilled, and the subsequent materials will be at hand.