In the News

By Emma Pettit 

A 250-unit Little Rock high-rise for senior citizens was awarded $2 million for renovations, and residents will receive free tablets and digital literacy classes, the financial backer said Tuesday.

The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco awarded $2 million to the 14-story Fred W. Parris Towers, the bank said in a news release. The tan brick building sits on a 3-acre lot at 1800 Broadway.

Known locally as just Parris Towers, the site contains 140 studio apartments, 100 one-bedroom units and 10 two-bedroom units. Built in 1972, it was among the first public housing projects in the nation to cater to the elderly.

With the $2 million grant will come a "significant aesthetic renovation of the lobby" to create a "more inviting and brighter atmosphere," Mary Long, assistant vice president of marketing communications for the bank, said in an email, quoting the grant application.

Vinyl plank flooring will be installed in the residential units, and kitchen cabinets and laminate counter space will be redesigned, Long said.

Appliance upgrades also are planned, including the additions of electronic stove tops, two-speed range hoods and Energy Star-certified refrigerators. Low-flow shower heads, faucets and toilets will be installed, Long said.

In addition to the physical upgrades, free tablets -- while supplies last -- will be offered to residents through a federal program, as will deeply discounted Internet service and digital literacy training classes.

U.S. Rep. French Hill said in a statement that the project will "immensely benefit the seniors living in central Arkansas."

Resident Noel Lee Mooney, who has lived in Parris Towers for about a year, said he's been to three or four meetings about the renovations. He's eager to see action, including better pest control.

"We keep having meetings and they keep telling us the same thing," Mooney said while seated on a park bench outside the residential tower.

The $2 million announced Tuesday is a slice of the total $28 million being invested in Parris Towers, according to the Metropolitan Housing Alliance, the group that owns and operates the building. Other funding sources include the alliance's capital funds, Freddie Mac and bonds via the Arkansas Development Finance Authority.

In addition to plumbing and electrical upgrades, Parris Towers will get a revamped security system and a full capacity backup power generator during periods of power failures, the alliance said in a news release. In May, Parris Towers experienced an internal power failure that caused the building's chiller system to malfunction.

The renovations are part of a federal program that converts public housing to Section 8 properties involving private investors. The program is known as Rental Assistance Demonstration, overseen by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Basically, it injects private dollars into public housing while still ensuring converted units are affordable to low-income households. This way, the Metropolitan Housing Authority can finance the backlog of necessary improvements, the release said.