Walz talks housing, federal funding

• Tim Walz

Tim Walz

Talk about it

WORTHINGTON — Congressman Tim Walz met Wednesday with a small group of city staff and Housing and Redevelopment Authority representatives to discuss plans to refurbish homes in Worthington with federal funding.

He said reviving the economy would take a three-pronged approach of improving the financial and housing sector and creating jobs.

“One of the quickest ways to try and do that was through programs that refurbished and got money to our local housing authorities, people who have been thrifty providing affordable housing,” he explained.

The meeting took place in the Burlington Avenue home of Maria and Antonio Martinez , one of the 10 housing units that will be refurbished by the nearly $222,000 the HRA received from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“We’ve kind of piecemealed through time; we may have replaced a cabinet here or there, a furnace here or there as needed, but because of the funding restrictions, it is difficult,” said HRA Executive Director Rosie Rogers of the units, which were built in 1980.

Though funding improvements to the single- and multi-family units on Burlington Avenue, Dover Street and Grand Avenue will also depend on future capitol outlay funds, Rogers said the federal funds should give the project a “jumpstart,” and construction should begin within three months.

Walz talked about the importance of being able to show taxpayers where and how their money was being spent, a main point of his visit with those overseeing the project. He also searched for answers to those who question the need for affordable housing funding.

“Right now, were seeing people bused two hours in a day to get to their jobs, and it’s not just coming in, that’s an exodus going out, too. I don’t think it’s an issue of finding a workforce, it’s an issue of finding housing for the workforce,” answered Mayor Alan Oberloh.

If the properties in question are not repaired, “The infrastructure would continue to deteriorate to the point where it would not be salvageable,” added engineer Steve Robinson of SEH, the project architect. Besides, he said, the current economic climate allows for the best return on investment due to low construction costs.

SEH will perform safety and building code and energy efficiency assessments on the properties in coming weeks and will prioritize the most urgent needs.

“We have 1980s’ heating systems that the efficiency is low, shingles may need to be replaced, windows may need to be replaced,” said Robinson, adding that according to the numbers he’s seen, each $35,000 spent in construction costs will generate or maintain one job per year in Worthington.

“These are the types of projects we can show the public the jobs that were created,” Walz responded.

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