HomeMy WebLinkAboutNAHA_01.28.2021 MinutesNorth Andover Housing Authority
One Morkeski Meadows (978) 682-3932
North Andover, MA 01845 (978) 794-1142 FAX
(800) 545-1833 Ext. 100 TDD
Minutes of the Meeting of January 28, 2021
The regular meeting of the North Andover Housing Authority was held on Thursday, January 28, 2021 via
conference call at 4:00 P.M.
Proper 48-hour notice was filed with the Town Clerk.
Mary Beth Soucy-Larkin called the meeting to order at 4:00 P.M. and upon roll call the following answered
present:
Mary Beth Soucy-Larkin
Edward Capodilupo
Stephen Long
Francis McCarty
Tracy Watson
Maggie Cleary, Executive Director of the North Andover Housing Authority, and one unidentified member of the
public were also in attendance.
Minutes
The board reviewed the minutes of the previous regular board meeting held on December 17, 2020. A motion
was made by Francis McCarty and seconded by Edward Capodilupo to approve the minutes as presented. The
motion was approved by a vote of 5-0.
Tenant Participation
The only resident in attendance was board member Edward Capodilupo. He asked about the status of Verizon at
Morkeski Meadows. Currently, residents are limited to internet and cable service through Comcast Xfinity.
Maggie Cleary responded that this has not been an issue that has been brought up before to her and she did not
have any information about past efforts to secure Verizon access in the building.
New Business
a. Distribution and Review of Resident Balance Report, Vacancy Report, and Work Order Report: The
resident balance report and work order report were acceptable to the board. Maggie Cleary informed
the board that she contacted DHCD for extra guidance on filling vacant units through the CHAMP
centralized waitlist. DHCD held a private help session with Maggie Cleary and the Public Housing
Director, which was very helpful and informative. Both Mary Beth Soucy-Larkin and Tracy Watson noted
satisfaction with the units filled since the previous board meeting. A motion was made by Francis
McCarty and seconded by Tracy Watson to approve Resident Balance Report, Work Order Report and
Vacancy. The motion was approved by a vote of 5-0.
b. Project 196059: Generator Installation at Fountain Drive, Bingham Way, and Morkeski Meadows –
Certificate of Substantial Completion. The board reviewed the punch list items provided by the architect,
Nangle Engineering. Edward Capodilupo noted that he believed most of these items, at least the ones
pertaining to Morkeski were already complete. Maggie Cleary mentioned that the architect and the
contractor, Dagle Electrical Engineering Corp had been going back and forth about the status of a few
items, that have since been deemed acceptable by the architect. Tracy Watson inquired whether this
Certificate of Substantial Completion was tied to any payments to the contractor. Maggie Cleary
responded that it was not. Frank McCarty made a motion to approve the Certificate of Substantial
Completion for Project 196059: Generator Installation at Fountain Drive, Bingham Way, and Morkeski
Meadows. The motion was seconded by Stephen Long and approved by a vote of 5-0.
c. Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program Informal Hearing Policy. Maggie Cleary provided the board
with the proposed Informal Hearing Policy for the federal HCV program. Tracy Watson noted it was very
important for the NAHA to have this policy for this specific program. Maggie Cleary noted that the
policy is important for dealing with program participant issues of noncompliance. Francis McCarty made
a motion to approve the Informal Hearing Policy for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. The
motion was seconded by Edward Capodilupo and was approved by a vote of 5-0.
d. Report of the Executive Director: Maggie Cleary updated the board on general housing authority
business, discussing the annual Performance Management Review conducted by DHCD, preparation for
the 9/30/2020 audit, and the private training session held by DHCD for the NAHA regarding the CHAMP
application system.
e. COVID-19 Update: Maggie Cleary informed the board about the NAHA’s continued COVID prevention
efforts, including recent discussions with the North Andover Board of Health regarding the vaccine
rollout among residents.
Other Business
Stephen Long passed along information from a resident at Fountain Drive that people were monopolizing the
laundry facilities. Maggie Cleary stated she would put signs up ASAP stating that residents should only use one
washer and one dryer at a time.
Maggie Cleary also updated the board that she heard from the Department of Energy Resources that they would
like to conduct an energy audit of NAHA facilities to best determine how to use the Columbia Gas grant money.
They will be conducting this energy audit for free.
Francis McCarty made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Edward Capodilupo and
passed 5-0. Mary Beth Soucy-Larkin declared the meeting adjourned at 4:48p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Maggie Cleary
Executive Director