NORTH HAVEN

On Nov. 20, town officials in North Haven celebrated the completion of various critical improvements which have been made to the Temple Pines senior housing building.

The 30 units at the low-income facility, which is located at 555 Pool Road and operated by the North Haven Housing Authority, were approved for a total of $5.7 million at the Annual Town Meeting in 2023, with all the monies coming from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. According to Director of Public Works Lynn Sadosky, the monies came from a combination of a $3.2 million grant from the Connecticut Small Cities Community Development Block Grant Program and a $2.5 million grant from the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority.

The improvements, the construction of which was handled by PAC Group LLC, include upgrades to exterior and interior infrastructure, buildingwide systems, and facilities. First Selectman Mike Freda told The Courier that these upgrades amount to a “very important project for us,” especially considering the already aging aspects of the Temple Pines building, which has stood since 1989.

“We knew that these facilities had been built so long ago that they had to be upgraded for the quality of living experience for our seniors who live in these complexes,” said Freda.

Chris Pisani, the head of the housing authority, said the improvements marked an “amazing milestone” and thanked all local and state stakeholders in their completion, including the town.

“This small housing authority is grateful to have such incredible from the Town of North Haven and we’re excited to see this building into the future,” said Pisani.

The exterior of the building received a new color, as the previous beige color of the outside portion of the structure was swapped for a light-blue color, while the windows were also improved, said Sadosky.

The air conditioning and heating systems have received upgrades via the installation of heat pumps, while changes have also occurred in the building’s flooring, hallways, and doors. Sadosky pointed to the installation of a new emergency generator, which she said has the capability to power the entire complex, as a critical upgrade, especially for its tenants.

“We have a lot of folks that have medical concerns,” she said. “They plug in units for certain medical devices that they have and, if the power goes down, they need the capability. Otherwise, what we were doing is calling the fire department to go get them at a certain point and help them. Now, we don't have to do that.”

The new generator will also keep the new elevator running. In addition to that, there will be new security and “state-of-the-art” intercom systems which include screens to see who is visiting an apartment.

“The resident can see you come in if you dial...If you're in [unit] 201, you’re able to see on the intercom system who's visiting you,” Sadosky said of the latter upgrade, adding that the system makes tenants feel “more secure.”

Sadosky said that other upgrades to the complex include new sanitation facilities, new sidewalks, and "completely redone” landscaping. She added that the housing complex has also met ADA standards in three of its units, thereby creating more space and accessibility for tenants, depending on their physical conditions. These include wider doors and showers which are accessible for wheelchairs, according to Sadosky.

Following the completion of upgrades at Temple Pines, the town is looking for similar improvements to be done at Parkside, another low-income project which is owned and operated by the town’s housing authority. This would bring the number of improvements to “approximately 102 between both facilities,” said Freda.

Sadosky said that she and other town officials are starting to put together a "development team,” which includes architect Paul Selnau, and are currently looking at almost fully drawn-up plans for the interior of Parkside.