GLOVERSVILLE — Rental applications for the nearly complete Estee Senior Apartments are now being accepted.
Construction of the $8 million Estee Senior Apartments at 90 N. Main St. began last May with the demolition of the former Estee Middle School building on the site.
A 12 to 18 month construction period was expected for the site and work is currently expected to be complete by the end of June.
Liberty Affordable Housing of Rome in Oneida County agreed to purchase the property in 2013, making plans to level the vacant school and construct a 37-unit apartment building for low-income seniors on the site. The building was partially funded by a $3.7 million grant from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation and a $400,000 Community Development Block Grant.
Asbestos demolition on the site was performed by Environmental Remediation Services, with monitoring by E & R Engineering.
The property will be managed by CRM Rental Management Inc. of Rome who are accepting rental applications until April 1 for a lottery drawing. Rentals are scheduled to begin on July 1, move-ins will likely be scheduled over the course of a few days.
Trisha Deguire, a property manager for CRM, said Wednesday that initial plans called for tenants to move in on June 1, but the date was pushed back a month due to the construction timeline. Workers are currently completing the installation of interior insulation and sheet rock.
Rent will be determined by income limit and program eligibility. Income limits are separated into three brackets according to state law with eligible renters at or below 50 percent of the median income in the area, at or below 60 percent of the median income or receiving Section 8.
Rent will range in price from $415-$500 per month, with heat and hot water included. Apartments are for seniors 55 and older.
Each of the 37 one bedroom apartment units are 725 square feet in size. Six of the units will be set aside for the frail elderly or people with physical disabilities. Priority will be given to veterans for those six units.
Deguire said CRM has already received about 10 rental applications with more expected and she anticipates the building opening with full occupancy in July.
“Interest has been wonderful. People are very excited for the building,” Deguire said.
The building features a community center, fitness room, a laundry room on each floor, a storage locker for each unit and central air conditioning in each apartment. Additional features include secured entry, elevator access and off street parking. The building is smoke free.
Deguire said she toured the building Monday and was very impressed. She noted an appreciation for the unique entrance and the overall design for the new building that was constructed to look like the historic Estee school.
“It’s a beautiful, brand new facility, with large windows letting natural light into each unit. It will be wonderful,” Deguire said. “It will be pretty much anything anyone could be hoping for in a brand new building with very affordable rent.”
