Tenants and the public get one scheduled chance to speak on the Chelsea Housing Authority’s plan for the coming year: a public hearing Wednesday, November 18, at 8:30 a.m. in the conference room at 54 Locke Street. The authority’s board is scheduled to vote on the plan later in the same meeting, and the comment period closes when the hearing does.
The draft, posted on the authority’s website since the start of October, covers the 462 state-aided apartments the authority owns. It proposes about $1.29 million in new capital work for fiscal 2027, nearly all of it for windows and balcony doors at the Buckley apartments, against $628,410.95 in formula funding from the state.
How to comment
- Hearing: Wednesday, November 18, 8:30 a.m., Conference Room, 54 Locke Street. The board meeting is also carried on Microsoft Teams. The draft says instructions for remote access are available on request at 617-409-5333.
- Ways to comment: speak at the hearing, email the authority’s office, or hand in written comments at the office. The notice says comments must be received no later than the close of the hearing.
- Contact: Executive Director Paul Nowicki, 617-409-5320, [email protected].
- Read the draft: English or Spanish, or in person at the Locke Street office.
The notice says substantive comments will be summarized and included in the plan when it goes to the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, which reviews it after the board approves it.
What the plan covers
The annual plan applies to the authority’s state-aided public housing, which the draft lists as four developments:
- Buckley: housing for the elderly, one building, built in 1961, 208 apartments.
- Union Park: housing for the elderly, seven buildings, built in 1960, 56 apartments.
- Prattville: family housing, eight buildings, built in 1950, 128 apartments.
- Fitzpatrick: family housing, 12 buildings, built in 1948, 70 apartments.
The draft adds that the authority manages 80 state rental vouchers and federally assisted housing and vouchers serving 959 households. Those federal programs are outside this plan.
Next year’s projects
For fiscal 2027 the draft proposes three projects totaling $1,292,619:
- Window and balcony door replacement at Buckley, $1,284,922.
- An underground utility study at Union Park ahead of paving and landscaping, $4,695.
- A flagpole at Buckley, $3,002.
That is roughly twice the $628,410.95 the draft lists as available formula funding for the year. In its written answers to the state, the authority says the window, door and heating work at its elderly developments “will likely require additional funding from various sources and/or scope revision.”
The four years after that
- Fiscal 2028: replacing the carport and first floor waste line at Buckley, $587,318; landscaping and paving at Union Park, $225,000.
- Fiscal 2029: roof restoration or replacement at Buckley, $562,877; a second phase of roof, gutter and fascia work at Union Park, $375,000.
- Fiscal 2030: bathroom modernization at Buckley, $4,787,532; common area painting at Buckley, $577,851.
- Fiscal 2031: shower replacement at Buckley, $3,976,159; kitchen renovation at Buckley, $998,089.
The draft describes the last two years as estimated planning amounts, and it cautions that costs and schedules in a capital plan often change before construction starts.
Work already under way
The draft lists active projects with a combined development cost of $46,469,874.51. Most of that, $40,947,856.98, is a single line listed as the Innes grant. The larger items among the rest:
- Facade and structural support column repair at Buckley, $1,644,424.13. Two change orders on the Buckley facade repair project are on Wednesday’s board agenda.
- Floodproofing at Prattville, $1,003,896.19.
- Windows, balcony doors and electric baseboard heat at Buckley, $817,000.
- Kitchen and hallway valve replacement at Buckley, $462,750.
- Roof, fascia and gutter replacement at Union Park, $413,331.75.
- Predevelopment work for Prattville and Fitzpatrick, $400,000.
On the two family developments, the authority writes that it is “in the process of complete redevelopment of our Veteran’s family housing,” that it has hired a developer, and that the developer is doing site exploration and taking core samples to prepare for newly designed sites. The draft gives no construction schedule.
Storms, heat and solar
The state asks each authority whether its buildings are flagged for weather risks such as storm surge, flooding and extreme heat. Chelsea’s answer is yes for Union Park and Buckley, and the draft says the projects in this plan do not include design elements aimed at those risks. No solar panels are planned for the Union Park roof work; the authority writes that it is “willing to consider it” if state sustainability money could be added. The draft also says no new fossil fuel equipment will be installed under the plan.
What the state’s review found
The draft includes the authority’s answers to the state’s most recent performance review. Most of the criteria shown, among them occupancy and rent collection, are marked “No Findings.” The authority answers two “Corrective Action” ratings:
- Board training. The state requires commissioners to complete online training every two years. The authority writes that “2 of our 5 Board members are in compliance” and that it now puts a reminder on the board agenda at least twice a year.
- Inspection work orders. The authority says it had classified preventive work as routine and that work was often assigned by verbal instruction. Its response is that the work has been reclassified and that all work is now written up as a work order.
The state’s own review reports, dated May 12, 2026, and attached to the draft, show a third “Corrective Action” rating, on the requirement for a 12-month preventive maintenance schedule. The state’s recommendations there include creating work orders for every preventive maintenance item, even when a contractor does the work, and putting life safety systems such as elevators, sprinklers, emergency lighting and alarms on the schedule. The authority’s written answers do not address that rating separately.
Also on Wednesday’s agenda
After the hearing, the board is scheduled to hear a presentation of the 2027 budget and to vote on contracts to replace a heating boiler at 44 Orange Street and the hot water boiler system at the Margolis development. The next regular meeting is listed for December 16.
The rest of the week’s meetings are in our week ahead.