HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-11-10-FHHR-min.pdf Fair Housing and Human Relations Committee Minutes, 11/10/93
Present Gerri Weathers , Chairman; Florence Baturin;
James R Brannon; Nicole T Herrmann; Marion
D de B Kilson; Stephen Baran, Fair Housing
Director (recorder) ; Anne Cornell, Senior
Property Manager and Cecilia Alder, Property
Manager, Lexington Ridge, Trammell Crow
Residential Services
Absent rater _.___ : Tin Leona W Martin; Robert
Pressman;
Minutes of 10/13 and 9 /9
The Minutes of 10/13 and 9/9 were corrected to reflect that Gerri
Weathers, not Gerri Smith, would talk with Rick White about
funding for police training on diversity
Lexington Ridae Rent-Un Procedures
Anne Cornell , Senior Property Manager and Cecilia Alder, Property
Managers from Trammell Crow for Lexington Ridge development
(currently 1-508-842-2666 at Town Arbor in Shrewsbury) were
introduced Shannon Whitelaw, Regional Property Manager, was
unable to attend 198 units including 40 low income and 16
moderate income apartments (both in the affordable housing
category , i e , "moderate" = low; "low" = very low) will be
opened up for rental by the end of May, weather permitting The
leasing process will begin December 15 and proceed in stages with
first occupancy by the end of February
There will be extensive marketing, and Committee members
expressed their desire to be as helpful as possible to assure
that marketing was equitably expedited in the interests of fair
housing, particularly for African Americans whose gains over the
past ten years had been slow Ms Cornell and Ms Alder were
given Community Builders ' (formerly Greater Boston Community
Development) outreach plans for the Franklin School apartments
The Enablement Committee will be advised so that they will be
able to make referrals as is the intention of members of the Fair
Housing and Human Relations Committee
The Committee agreed to have its next meeting at the Lexington
Ridge Club House on Wednesday, December 8
In relation to the Lexington Ridge rent up process, Gerri
Weathers noted that not all the Katandin Woods low income units
were rented She and Steve Baran will be meeting with the
Katandin Woods representative to investigate the reasons for
this Steve conjectured that the paucity of Section 8 and 707
certificates providing subsidies to low income households might
be a factor
Fair Housing/Human Relations Committee Minutes , 11/10/93 Page 2
Ms Cornell estimated that approximately 50% of the low income
units at Lexington Ridge would eventually be occupied by
certificate holders
Beverly White
Beverly White, an African American scattered site resident, had
ayPraSCpti strong concerns to Gerri Weathers about how she was
treated by the Lexington Housing nuLnurity auLiuy c'vicL1u,i
proceedings Moreover, she had found it difficult to adjust as a
minority person to the Lexington environment It was agreed that
a welcome letter detailing resources that could be useful to a
newcomer should be drafted and given to various rental groups in
the town
Met State
Gerri Weathers reported that the Met State Lexington subcommittee
had evidenced considerable receptivity to the concept of
affordable housing and the vision of how such housing could
include community-oriented amenities Gerri was not sanguine
about the chances for affordable housing being included in the
final Met State plans A Waltham subcommittee is continuing to
work on plans for golfing and plans for conservation are well
along Belmont had approached Gerri about hosting a meeting on
affordable housing for the three towns The Fair Housing
Committee saw no need to proceed on this
Pen Pals
Steve Baran related that his son , Shaun, who is completing a tour
of duty for the Peace Corps in Senegal had attempted to set up a
correspondence relationship between a high school French class in
Washington, D C and pupils in his N' Doyenne village school The
community was offended when the students wrote to inquire if the
villagers wore clothes , and the relationship was broken off
Shaun was hoping to create a new relationship with a Lexington
High School French class Nichole Herrmann volunteered to assist
Committee Plans
Plans were presented by Florence Baturin There will be further
discussion in December and assignments made Gerri thanked the
subcommitee for its hard work
Heritage Museum Negro Baseball Exhibit
Mary Haskell asked for input re planning Negro Baseball Exhibit
at the Heritage Museum