By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Epworth Towers will begin a $7 million renovation of its 90-unit senior and low-income housing complex in July.
The complex, 2800 Augusta Lane, was built in 1980. Tax credits from the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation will allow for a top-down renovation of the building. Completion of the project is anticipated in October 2020.
The renovation will address mechanical and interior issues at the complex. This will include a new heating and air-conditioning system and mechanics for its elevator as well as new paint and decor for the common areas of the complex.
All of the apartments will be painted and receive new appliances, carpet and windows.
Debra Staab, Towers manager, said the complex provides clean, affordable housing, but the building is aging and needs updating. The Towers has made cosmetic upgrades to carpet and other aspects of the facilities over the years, but this will be the first major overhaul in the facility’s 40 years.
Staab gave the example of the windows, which are a crank style and do not function well during high Kansas winds.
In anticipation of the renovation, the Towers stopped renting to new tenants. As vacancies occurred, some tenants were moved to create a block of empty apartments in the southeast quarter of the complex where the renovations will begin. Once the apartments are completed, the Towers will move the tenants back into their original apartments.
Parking will remain the same for tenants during the renovation. Additional parking will be added as part of the project toward the end of the construction. The Towers office also is being enlarged.
Epworth Towers is a nonprofit entity for renters who are 62 or older or disabled and who meet income requirements. Rents are based on 30 percent of the renters’ adjusted incomes. Once the renovations are completed, the Towers will open rental applications again.
“Epworth Towers has a long history in the Hays community and is very excited to be able to complete these upgrades for the residents,” Staab said in a news release. “These improvements will allow Epworth Towers to continue to provide quality, affordable housing for many years to come.”
Staab said low-income housing is needed in Hays.
“We go specifically to the elderly and low-income,” she said. “They need to have places that are clean and in great condition. We needed to get the bones of the building up to standard. We never have a vacancy issue.”
Epworth Towers Inc. is working with Wichita developer Investment Resources Corp. and Accel Construction Co. to assist with the redevelopment.