Millville Housing Authority

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Cautious leadership at Housing Authority

By JOEL LANDAU TheDailyJournal.com
May 12, 2010

MILLVILLE -- The Millville Housing Authority has taken a conservative approach to its finances over the past two years, but Executive Director Paul Dice insists that doesn't mean the authority isn't moving forward.

"I'm not opposed to debt. I'm not opposed to risk," he said. "I'm opposed to short-range plans that do not make sense for long-range stability."

Today, Dice marks two years at the helm of the MHA.

After the authority's Board of Commissioners appointed Dice on May 12, 2008, he held a series of meetings with the staff to review the authority's finances and reprioritize its goals. Together, they decided to refocus on the authority's eight public housing complexes, the Holly City Family Center, the Assisted Living Program, and developing reserve money for future maintenance and development.

"A new building is wonderful. A newly renovated facility is wonderful," Dice said. "But if you can't place money into the existing fund, it will become a liability more than anything else."

The authority has limited its risk by transferring management duties of the Glasstown Residence at River Park to Interstate Realty Management Co. in Marlton, transferring six properties in the city to Affordable Homes of Millville Ecumenical Inc. instead of developing them into affordable houses themselves, and scrapping plans to raze and rebuild Holly Berry Court.

The management deal move saved the authority about $165,000, Dice said.

Finance Director Mitch Moore said the authority has learned it shouldn't proceed with an initiative unless it has adequate seed money to get it off the ground.

"You can't pull everything in so many different directions," he said. "If you don't have the money to support the projects, they won't be successful." In June 2008, the Holly City Family Center was

carrying a deficit of $200,000 and planned to close. Today, it's earning a small profit.

A lot of the credit goes to the city, Millville school district, Cumberland County Improvement Authority and South Jersey Healthcare for making contributions to keep the family center open.

But the authority's nonprofit organization, Holly City Development Corp., kept the success rolling by turning its attention toward boosting memberships and fundraising. A property sale in 2009 gave the center a $114,000 infusion, Dice said.

The center now leases space to the Cumberland County Department of Health for $5,000 a month.

In July 2009, the authority's Assisted Living Program was $48,000 in the hole. The authority is closing the gap on losses there, but more work needs to be done, Dice said. Enrollment in the program is improving, and the authority is making moves to increase operating efficiencies, he said.

"There's been a lot of growth," Dice said. "It takes a long time to make something get to this point."

To make the program more efficient and save on costs, the MHA's board voted this month to consolidate the Assisted Living program into Jaycee Plaza instead of splitting services between there and Riverview West.

The authority planned for years to raze and rebuild Holly Berry Court, but Dice said he and his staff were unsure they could get enough money from tax credits for the project.

"I didn't think the building was beyond its useful life," he said.

The authority received about $720,000 in federal stimulus money last July and used it to replace and repair roofs at Holly Berry Court, Ferguson Court and Jaycee Plaza. The projects were completed earlier this year.

The authority is now banking money for the most pressing repairs to its housing stock. An initial estimate is about $2.5 million, Moore said, with about $300,000 slated for Holly Berry Court. About $650,000 has been raised so far.

Dice said the MHA is considering selling some of its properties in the city's Revenue Allocation District. That program offers incentives to homebuyers and allows the properties to be developed more quickly.

Dice said it would be at least a year until the authority would consider new projects, but he does have an eye on the next initiatives.

If Holly City Development Corp. turns a profit next year, he'd like to see the MHA build new homes on a chunk of land off Shar Lane Boulevard.

"If it will sustain itself, we'll do it," he said. "If we can't find a way for it to sustain itself, we need to alter our plan."

	Press Release About Us > News & Press Releases > Press Release Cautious leadership at Housing Authority By JOEL LANDAU TheDailyJournal.com May 12, 2010 MILLVILLE -- The Millville Housing Authority has taken a conservative approach to its finances over the past two years, but Executive Director Paul Dice insists that doesn't mean the authority isn't moving forward. "I'm not opposed to debt. I'm not opposed to risk," he said. "I'm opposed to short-range plans that do not make sense for long-range stability." Today, Dice marks two years at the helm of the MHA. After the authority's Board of Commissioners appointed Dice on May 12, 2008, he held a series of meetings with the staff to review the authority's finances and reprioritize its goals. Together, they decided to refocus on the authority's eight public housing complexes, the Holly City Family Center, the Assisted Living Program, and developing reserve money for future maintenance and development. "A new building is wonderful. A newly renovated facility is wonderful," Dice said. "But if you can't place money into the existing fund, it will become a liability more than anything else." The authority has limited its risk by transferring management duties of the Glasstown Residence at River Park to Interstate Realty Management Co. in Marlton, transferring six properties in the city to Affordable Homes of Millville Ecumenical Inc. instead of developing them into affordable houses themselves, and scrapping plans to raze and rebuild Holly Berry Court. The management deal move saved the authority about $165,000, Dice said. Finance Director Mitch Moore said the authority has learned it shouldn't proceed with an initiative unless it has adequate seed money to get it off the ground. "You can't pull everything in so many different directions," he said. "If you don't have the money to support the projects, they won't be successful." In June 2008, the Holly City Family Center was carrying a deficit of $200,000 and planned to close. Today, it's earning a small profit. A lot of the credit goes to the city, Millville school district, Cumberland County Improvement Authority and South Jersey Healthcare for making contributions to keep the family center open. But the authority's nonprofit organization, Holly City Development Corp., kept the success rolling by turning its attention toward boosting memberships and fundraising. A property sale in 2009 gave the center a $114,000 infusion, Dice said. The center now leases space to the Cumberland County Department of Health for $5,000 a month. In July 2009, the authority's Assisted Living Program was $48,000 in the hole. The authority is closing the gap on losses there, but more work needs to be done, Dice said. Enrollment in the program is improving, and the authority is making moves to increase operating efficiencies, he said. "There's been a lot of growth," Dice said. "It takes a long time to make something get to this point." To make the program more efficient and save on costs, the MHA's board voted this month to consolidate the Assisted Living program into Jaycee Plaza instead of splitting services between there and Riverview West. The authority planned for years to raze and rebuild Holly Berry Court, but Dice said he and his staff were unsure they could get enough money from tax credits for the project. "I didn't think the building was beyond its useful life," he said. The authority received about $720,000 in federal stimulus money last July and used it to replace and repair roofs at Holly Berry Court, Ferguson Court and Jaycee Plaza. The projects were completed earlier this year. The authority is now banking money for the most pressing repairs to its housing stock. An initial estimate is about $2.5 million, Moore said, with about $300,000 slated for Holly Berry Court. About $650,000 has been raised so far. Dice said the MHA is considering selling some of its properties in the city's Revenue Allocation District. That program offers incentives to homebuyers and allows the properties to be developed more quickly. Dice said it would be at least a year until the authority would consider new projects, but he does have an eye on the next initiatives. If Holly City Development Corp. turns a profit next year, he'd like to see the MHA build new homes on a chunk of land off Shar Lane Boulevard. "If it will sustain itself, we'll do it," he said. "If we can't find a way for it to sustain itself, we need to alter our plan."