Group to lobby for senior housing
A group of concerned residents is looking into the need for additional housing for senior citizens in Willows and has formed a steering committee to help move the issue forward.
Members of Willows Citizens for Senior Housing met Thursday for the third time at the Willows Senior Nutrition Center to outline strategies and hear from a consultant whose company builds senior complexes.
Ministers Janna Adamson, Phil Zabell and Keith Corum are pushing the effort under the auspices of Glenn Communities Working Together, but they want input and participation from other interested parties.
There is a need for communally based, yet independent living facilities in town, Adamson said, because many people have to move to Chico to find that when they would rather stay here.
She and Zabell mentioned two complexes for older people here are already filled. One has a two-year waiting list.
Willows officials and Glenn County planners are putting senior housing sections into their housing elements, and that is a good step, Adamson said.
The featured speaker at Thursday's meeting was Rod Mummert of Ashwood Construction, Inc. in Fresno.
Mummert presented a video on a seniors complex his company built at 1200 Park Ave. in Chico that has just under 100 apartments for seniors. It offers subsidized housing for seniors in a modern three-story building with rents ranging from $250 to $800 depending on a tenant's income, he said.
In addition, his firm has built multi-family complexes for seniors or families around California, and the video also showcased a 44-unit seniors complex in Turlock, which, he said, would be a good fit for Willows.
Mummert's company is allied with Affordable Housing Development Corporation (AHDC) which arranges financing, grant funding and other methods for building projects, he said.
At this point, there are no concrete plans for this company to build in Willows, and no other projects have been finalized, Adamson said.
But her group is trying to move things along so something can be done, she said.
There are at least three potential sites for seniors housing in town, including one proposed by developer Forrest Sprague on Green Street.
Another possible site is across from the Willows Post Office on a lot where an old abandoned theater building stands now. If the city approves this site, the building would be torn down because it has asbestos, they said.
The Willows City Council is set to address issues related to the site on Tuesday.
As part of the committee's strategy, it plans to attend City Council meetings and let city officials know people want senior housing addressed. It also will advertise its meetings on fliers at the Post Office, Chamber of Commerce and other places.
It also will host meetings at the senior center so more people can hear about it.
Volunteer Frances Cole-Boyd also suggested getting the committee on Facebook and other Internet sites.
The next meeting of Willows Citizens for Senior Housing will be at 12:25 p.m. on Jan. 21 at the senior center on Sycamore Street.
For more information, call 934-3412 or visit online at www.glencommunities.org or glenn-communities@sbcglobal.net.
Contact Rick Longley at 934-6800 or rlongley@tcnpress.com
