of The New Castle Record
An apartment community is nearly complete in New Castle which will be home to 34 elderly or handicapped people, a place they can feel like they are part of a community, yet in charge of their own home.
New Castle Manor Apartments will be ready for occupancy July 1, if all goes according to plan. That appears to be a reasonable goal, as all the units are built and the inside work and finishing touches are being completed.
This community will be for more than the 34 residents; it will be utilized by the seniors who meet on a weekly basis for fellowship. The main building will have a large meeting room to be used as the site for meetings of the local senior citizens’ organization. This will provide very easy access to residents and facilitate the trip of other seniors who had to park or load and unload along Main Street.
Hunt and Associates of Virginia Inc. owns and operates the complex, hiring Craig County resident Christine Osborne as the manager. Her office is already open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the community building at the complex, located about two blocks off Virginia 311 in Scratch Ankle.
Osborne said the application process is open and the apartments are filled to qualified applicants on a first-come, first-served basis.
She said the program is administered through the Farmers Home Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She said qualifying is not difficult. Rent is based on 30 percent of a resident’s adjusted income. This does not include assets, but will take into account interest from those assets as income.
The apartments are designed for single living, with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living area in each. Two are specially equipped to accommodate residents in wheelchairs and 32 are for seniors.
People with disabilities will be considered for housing regardless of age.
Osborne said the residents will be active in the decision-making processes in the New Castle Manor community. As an example, the central area will be left vacant until the residents association decides what should be located there. It could be a gazebo, flower gardens, a pond, or anything the residents decide on, Osborne said.
She will attend resident meetings so she can hear their concerns and provide solutions, where possible.
“It’s going to have as much tenant participation as possible because this is where they’re going to live,” Osborne said.
As applications come in, the residents will get to choose their units from those still available. There are units on the inside, facing the central area away from the surrounding streets, and those which will offer close parking because they face the street.
Once the complex is up and running, a maintenance man will be working on a part-time basis and Osborne will be there 20 hours a week, although she will be on call in case of an emergency. She said because her husband, Stan, works at the post office people can track her down through him if necessary.
Hunt and Associates owns similar retirement communities in Abingdon, Pulaski, and Tappahannock, Va. It also owns complexes in North and South Carolina. Through last week, Osborne said seven people have applied to live in New Castle Manor. She said until advertising is published, word of mouth will be getting the message out, which she hopes will give local people a chance to apply before the complex is filled.
– Prepared by Shelly Koon
