On Tuesday construction workers broke ground on the site of the future Salvatore L. Monarco Place, Connecticut’s first sensory-impaired housing facility. According to William Vasiliou, Executive Director of the Middletown Housing Authority (MHA), the concept for the center was spurred by an impromptu meeting between him and 97-year-old state resident Larry Marino two years ago.
“[Marino] came into my office and told me he wanted housing for the hearing impaired to be built in Middletown,” Vasilou said. “I’ve been trying to provide sensory impaired housing in Middletown too, so that was the genesis of the idea.”
A variety of facilities and services are being installed to accommodate all the needs of the future tenants. A coalition of advisers was organized to instruct him and the MHA on all the aspects and amenities a sensory-impaired person would need. Transportation and safety were at the top of their list of priorities.
“We made sure to establish a location accessible by a bus line that people could walk to, so they aren’t stuck in a bucolic setting,” Vasiliou stated. “Safety is a key issue.” Additionally, each apartment will have three windows, all of which will be heavily tinted so as to protect the sensitivity that many sensory-impaired people have to light.
“Electronics are also very important,” Vasiliou said. “All the rooms will be equipped with kiosk notification devices so the deaf and blind may communicate with people downstairs and find out who’s coming up to their rooms.”
Vasiliou believes that the reason Connecticut’s first facility of this nature is being built in Middletown is that the MHA was brave enough to take on such a project.
Once the MHA had agreed to the project, they met with Mayor DomeniqueThornton in order to gain her authorization for the construction and zoning of the 16-unit facility. The Common Council also voted to sanction a land grant for the center. With the stamp of approval of both Thornton and the Council, the planning could commence and an architectural design could be drafted. The Department of Housing & Urban Development also funded $1.8M of the $2.4M price tag of the project.
He added that there are no financial gains to be made through this venture.
“It’s not to maximize profits; it’s not going to be economically viable,” he said.
According to Vasiliou, the long-term benefits of this housing complex may outweigh capital.
“This is part of what we see as a community dynamic that Middletown’s slowly but surely heading toward,” he said.
Measures are already in place for admitting applicants to the Monarco Place complex once it is completed.
“We’ll select our waiting list using a lottery system,” Vasiliou said. “The factors used to create the waiting list are based on how many people apply.”
Vasiliou is confident about the interest and demand for housing in Monarco Place, largely in part of the national attention the project has received.
“This has mushroomed into a nationwide story,” he said. “I would seriously consider expanding the facility to accommodate more units.”
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