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DHCR In the News
A New Beginning - CODE Breaks Ground On Appleyard Terrace Phase 2
The POST-JOURNAL
By Patrick Fanelli
"Even when we may be in disagreement on the path of the road, we always work together to reach the destination... and this project is a prime example."
Samantha Ellis loves her home.
A resident of Appleyard Terrace on East Second Street, Ms. Ellis was lucky to have filed the very last application available at the time for families hoping to move into the new housing project developed by the non-profit Citizens Opportunities for Development and Equality Inc.
Soon after, she and her five children moved from their South Main Street home into a new three-story, three-bedroom townhouse made possible by the $6 million development project.
"It was a new beginning, and a new start - and it was the perfect place to do it in," said Ms. Ellis, a single mother who works at the Joint Neighborhood Project. "It sets a very nice standard of living."
Ms. Ellis watched Friday as dozens of public officials and community leaders broke ground on the Appleyard Phase 2 project, which will cost $4.5 million and will add 12 new three- and four-bedroom units to the East Second Street block between Winsor and Cheney Street.
Providing first-class affordable housing for people like Ms. Ellis is CODE's primary purpose, according to Andy Goodell, a Jamestown attorney who chairs the CODE board of directors.
"That's what CODE's been about since it was formed in 1981," Goodell said of the organization for which he volunteers - a group that has left its mark on Jamestown with the renovation of the Chadakoin building and the former Euclid Avenue School, the construction of the Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena and the transformation of North Main Street near Love School.
Officials like Mayor Sam Teresi, County Executive Greg Edwards and state Sen. Cathy Young, R-Olean, praised CODE officials for their work replacing 24 sub-standard homes and replacing them with the townhouses - which range in price from $520 to $771, a figure that includes utilities.
"This neighborhood unfortunately has seen hard times over the years, and that's why it's critically important to take on these projects," Sen. Young said.
"And Don, how many times did people tell us in the past this one couldn't be done?" Teresi asked of Don Bloomquist, CODE executive director.
For Bloomquist, it was a good moment Friday with the sun shining, with the crowd gathered before him and with piles of debris all that remained of several old sub-standard homes along Crescent Street. The structures were demolished Wednesday and Thursday in preparation for the beginning of the construction phase of the project.
"I firmly honestly believe that it's not frivolous to say all that's been done here has been worth all the effort," Bloomquist said shortly following the ceremony.
The 20 Appleyard Terrace townhouses that were completed in the first phase of the project are home to 55 school-aged children, according to Michael Bradshaw, CODE assistant executive director. And for Bradshaw, that's Appleyard Terrace's greatest success story - the fact that it provides top-notch family housing in a city desperate for suitable three- and four-bedroom units.
"The biggest impact I really think people never really focus on is the impact this kind of housing has on stabilizing families," Bradshaw said during the planning phase of the project. "The effect is tremendous."
Edwards reminded all those assembled of the demand in the region for high-skill jobs, which he said makes it essential to provide students today with good housing and the tools they need to succeed in school.
"We're deeply invested in helping people improve their opportunities," Edwards said, "and I think it's beginning to show."
Thomas Van Nortwick, state Division of Housing and Community Renewal assistant commissioner, was on hand Friday for the dedication. DHCR provided $2.1 million for Appleyard Phase 1 and is providing $1.9 million for the second phase.
"The Jamestown community is a great place for us to be in. You do a lot of great work here," Van Nortwick said. "This is exactly why we do what we do. Family housing is critically important. It's something you can all be proud of, but it's something you can't do without great partners."
A long list of public, private and non-profit entities have been involved with the project, many representatives of which were present Friday. A common theme during the dedication ceremony was the ability of public and private leaders in the Jamestown community to come together despite their differences to see projects like Appleyard Terrace succeed.
"Even when we may be in disagreement on the path of the road, we always work together to reach the destination - and this project is a prime example," Teresi said.
Last updated on 06/02/08