Mountainlands Community Housing

ALTHOUGH THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC HIT HARD AT THE END OF MOUNTAINLANDS COMMUNITY HOUSING TRUST'S (MCHT) FISCAL YEAR ENDING MARCH 31, 2020 THE EFFECTS HAVE BEEN MINIMAL. OFFICE STAFF HAS BEEN WORKING FROM HOME SINCE MID-MARCH AND CONSTRUCTION ON ALL PROJECTS CONTINUES. ALL FUNDING CONTINUES AS BUDGETED. DURING THE FISCAL YEAR THE SELF HELP PROGRAM CONTINUED WITH SIGNIFICANT DELAYS CAUSED BY CHANGES IN USDA RURAL DEVELOPMENT'S APPRAISAL PROCUREMENT PROCEDURES. THE DELAYS CAUSED THE CLOSING OF SALES OF LOTS TO EIGHT SELF HELP PARTICIPANTS INTO APRIL WHICH PREVENTED THE FREEING UP OF CASH USED TO PURCHASE THESE LOTS BEFORE THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR. MCHT CONTINUED TO RECEIVE SUBSTANTIAL "GAINS ON THE SALE" FROM THE SALE OF THESE LOTS DURING THE FISCAL YEAR. DURING THE FISCAL YEAR, CONSTRUCTION BEGAN ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS FOR PARKVIEW PLACE (49 LOTS) AND FRONTIER COTTAGES (21 LOTS) SUBDIVISIONS. CONSTRUCTION OF AFFORDABLE HOMES WILL START THIS SUMMER. CONSTRUCTION STARTED ON THE FIRST BUILDING CONSISTING OF 32 AFFORDABLE FOR-SALE CONDOMINIUMS AT CENTRAL VILLAGE CONDOMINIUMS IN SILVER CREEK VILLAGE. ANTICIPATED CONSTRUCTION LOANS FROM MOUNTAIN WEST BANK FOR TWO BUILDINGS WERE DELAYED THEN SCALED DOWN FOR ONE BUILDING CAUSING THE LOSS OF BUDGETED DEVELOPMENT FEES UNTIL COMPLETION AND SALE OF THE BUILDINGS. WITH THE OPENING OF THE PEACE HOUSE'S TRANSITIONAL HOUSING MCHT HAS SCALED DOWN ITS PROGRAM TO ONLY TWO APARTMENTS AND CONTINUES TO RECEIVE LOCAL SUPPORT FOR THIS PROGRAM. DURING THE FISCAL YEAR MCHT'S DEPUTY DIRECTOR, STEVE LAURENT, LEFT EMPLOYMENT WHEN HIS WIFE ACCEPTED A JOB IN LOS ALAMOS, NEW MEXICO. HE WAS NOT REPLACED. SHANNON SAMPSON, AN ASSISTANT CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISOR ALSO ACCEPTED ANOTHER POSITION AND WAS NOT REPLACED. MIKEY BUTTERS, WHO WAS EMPLOYED ONE DAY PER WEEK AS MCHT'S IT ADMINISTRATOR, BECAME AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR AND CONTINUES TO SERVE MCHT. MCHT CONTINUES AS A FINANCIALLY SOUND ORGANIZATION AND HAS SEVERAL YEARS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN ITS PIPELINE. MCHT'S STRENGTH IS ITS COMMITTED COMPETENT STAFF WHO CONTINUES TO FUNCTION AT A HIGH LEVEL DESPITE COVID 19 LIMITATIONS.