Framing is underway this week as the six-plex addition to the Houston Retirement Housing Society’s Pleasant Valley Village continues to make progress.
The society also held its annual general meeting last week, several months later than traditional but adjusted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Arnold Amonson, who has been president for the past 16 years, was returned to that position and there were no other changes to the executive.
“Michelle Standbridge is the secretary and Shannon Clarke is the treasurer along with a vice president and five directors,” said Amonson.
“Since our normal date for an AGM is May, this executive will only be in for about seven months,” he added.
And, said Amonson, this will be his last term.
Amonson said he got involved in the effort to develop seniors housing through the local seniors association which saw a need for senior housing in the Houston area.
“At first we looked at multilevel housing but found out that a society such as ours didn’t fit that dream,” he said of the idea of a place that offered different levels of accommodation.
But once the society developed its concept of independent but accessible living quarters within a group setting, it has not veered from that vision.
Amonson said the society also decided early on to avoid applying for government operational financial assistance.
“We wanted to retain control,” he said of that decision.
The society has, however, received specific assistance, to help buffer construction costs. The District of Houston, for example, provided a grant in aid this year of $5,190 which was sufficient to cover the cost of the District’s building permit. It did the same for earlier units built by the society.
The society achieved a major first step forward when Groot Brothers donated five acres on 11th Street.
The first six-plex was built in 2007 with the second one coming in 2010 and the third in 2015.
One measure of the need for housing of this type is the society’s waiting list which typically has more than 50 name on it.