The Knox County Housing Authority has officially started a project that’s been a few years in the making.
Construction began a month ago on some new housing at the Whispering Hollow apartment complex near South and Berrien Streets.
Knox County Housing Authority Assistant Director Cheryl Lefler tells WGIL six units will be built in order to better comply with federal law.
“Primarily, the reason for that is to have some accessible units for folks who have physical needs, [and] for their families,” says Lefler. “So we are building those units to keep in line with requirements of the Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act. We’re required to have bedroom-sized units at every bedroom size that we have. We have 2, 3, 4, and 5-bedroom units.”
“I’ve been there 12 years, and we’ve done a lot of capital projects,” says Derek Antoine, Executive Director. “We’ve tuckpointed brick. We’ve replaced plumbing. We’ve added exterior renovations and beautifications at the sites, and things of that nature. But, this is the biggest construction project that Cheryl and I have ever undertaken at the Housing Authority, and will most likely remain that way even if we’re there another 30 years.”
$2.1 million is being spent to build the units — federal monies, Lefler says, the Housing Authority has been saving up for the last several years.
Work is slated to be completed in about a year, and also includes the moving of some trees and playgrounds at Whispering Hollow.
(August, 2018 construction photo courtesy Knox County Housing Authority)
