Big turnaround

July 17, 2008 04:55 pm

— The city of Ashland made the right decision when it hired Rick Young as executive director of the Ashland Housing Authority to succeed former city commissioner Mike Stewart. Young is doing in Ashland just what he did when he had a similar position in neighboring Catlettsburg: Turning two deteriorating housing complexes into attractive and well-managed sources of community pride.
In Catlettsburg, Young oversaw the revitalization of the Grandview Manor high-rise apartments in the city’s downtown and of the Forest Heights subsidized housing units located on a hillside overlooking the city.
In Ashland, Young is doing the same thing for the Scope Towers apartments and for the DeBoard Terrace housing complex.
And for Ashland, the improvements could not have come at a better time. Just before Stewart’s retirement, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development declared Scope Towers and DeBoard Terrace “financially troubled.” Many of the units on the complex were vacant — largely because of their poor condition — and HUD officials were highly critical of their management.
Last July, the Ashland Housing Authority signed a 14-month agreement with HUD outlining what the agency had to do to shed its “troubled” status and get back in the good graces of the federal agency. The HUD mandate covered a variety of topics ranging from accounting and financial stipulations to updating procedural and administrative policies to improving facilities and increasing occupancy rates.
What a difference a year under Young has made! Both Scope Towers and DeBoard Terrace now have the highest occupancy rate they have had in more than a decade. As of Wednesday, 334 or the 379 units were occupied, and of those still vacant, 21 are awaiting asbestos removal. That leaves just 24 vacant units that are deemed ready for occupancy.
A lot of painting, paving, cleaning and landscaping have taken place at Scope Towers and DeBoard Terrace in recent months, and as a result, resident pride is being restored. DeBoard Terrace no longer is a dirty, dilapidated complex that many viewed as a “last resort” when needing a place to live.
In a sense, the change is not surprising. The same sort of turnaround occurred at Forest Heights when Young headed the Catlettsburg Housing Authority. In fact, Young received regional and national recognition from HUD for his achievements in Catlettsburg.
Because of its improvements, the Ashland Housing Authority is expected to shed its “financially troubled” status well before the established Sept. 30 deadline. Young said HUD officials are “shocked that things have turned over so quick” in Ashland.
But maybe “shocked” is not the right word. “Pleasantly surprised” seems more appropriate. But given Rick Young’s track record for managing federally subsidized housing for low-income, disabled and elderly people, HUD officials should not be surprised. Rick Young is a professional who knows what he is doing.