On Friday, April 24, the Macon Housing Authority and Macon-Bibb County District 3 Commissioner Elaine Lucas celebrated the redevelopment and revitalizations of the former Hunt Elementary School on Shurling Drive. The school is being converted to the Henry A. Hunt School Village and will have 60 multifamily, affordable housing units for seniors 62 and older.
“This is great for East Macon and the neighborhood surrounding this historic building,” says Mrs. Lucas. “We need to look at all the buildings falling into disrepair and find ways for groups to take them over and find ways they can serve our community.”
“We’re excited about this opportunity to bring new life to the former Henry A. Hunt Elementary School. Our partnership with Macon-Bibb County and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs will provide needed new, affordable housing in East Macon for low income seniors,” says June Parker, Executive Director of the Macon Housing Authority. “At the same time, this preserves and transforms a very important East Macon landmark, and we know the community will be as proud of it as the community is of the Pearl Stephens Village revitalization we did in several years ago.”
With design work being completed this month and bid opening expected to begin in late May, In-Fill Housing, Inc. expects the project to begin in September and be completed by August 2016. The former administration building will be converted into offices and community space for residents including meeting rooms, a kitchen, a fitness center and computer center. The two existing classroom buildings will house one and two bedroom unit apartments, with eight units in each building. In addition, two new buildings containing 44 additional one and two bedroom units will be added.
Each unit will include a microwave, range, refrigerator, dishwasher, disposal, washer/dryer hookups, ceiling fans, and carpet. Site amenities will include: an on-site management and maintenance personnel, a Community Center with various amenities, laundry rooms, a pavilion, mail kiosk, decorative fencing with security gates, and heavy landscaping.
Henry A. Hunt Elementary School was named for a noted African-American educator who led efforts to educate minority youth in underserved rural Georgia. Built in the 1950’s, the school served east Macon children until around 2003 when it was permanently closed. Since then the school has fallen into disrepair and is now a blighting influence on the surrounding community.
In November 2014, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) allocated federal and state Low Income Housing Tax Credits of $657,286 (this is an annual allocation for 10 years), for a total of $6,572,860. The sale of these tax credits is expected to yield $9,700,000. As part of the application for those credits, Macon-Bibb County has pledged $450,000 in construction and permanent loan financing from its Community Development Block Grant funds.