Water Tower Place steps out!
The public is invited to take a tour
By Debbie Lowe Staff writer

Finn

The long-awaited senior housing project known as Water Tower Place, located on the Crooked Road to Flora/Delphi, opened to the public last spring. The grass had not sprouted yet, but the units were constructed and ready for occupancy. Management company Herman & Kittle Properties Inc. is ready to throw the doors open, greet the masses and celebrate a job well done.

This Saturday, the affordable apartment homes program for active seniors age 55 and older will host an open house to formally welcome members of the community and potential residents to look around and discover the services available for residents.

Property manager Norene Finn said she is glad to be a part of the new facility. She said she wants to meet and greet as many people as possible during the open house.

"I like working with the elderly," Finn said.

All homes feature two bedrooms with a bath, all appliances, a private entrance, either a patio or a porch, huge walk-in closets and pets are welcome.

Finn will be the activities director when the clubhouse is built, sometime before Thanksgiving. The facility will also host a fitness center, a recreation room, a business center and a hair salon. "I'm ready to begin activities at the clubhouse when it is finished," she said. "can't wait to have all sorts of things for residents to do." Finn, a 20-year resident of Delphi and a special education bus driver for the Delphi Community School Corporation, will serve as a resource person to advise residents about transportation, meals on wheels and other community services. She will also act as a liaison with the Area IV Agency on Aging to enhance what promises to be a positive experience for residents.

Finn is the person who determines eligibility for potential residents. Water Tower Place Apartments operates in accordance with a program governed by the Internal Revenue Service (Section 42). That program is also known as the Affordable Housing Program, the Low Income Tax Credit Housing Program or the Tax Credit Program.

According to Finn, no matter what the program is called, it is designed to provide new housing to active seniors, 55 or older, with moderate income, rather than the lowest income. The facility has five income limits and accepts Section 8 vouchers from Area IV although it is not technically "subsidized housing."

"There is an eligibility process," Finn said. "The best way to know if you or a loved one qualifies is to fill out an application."

"That can be done at the open house also," she added. "We use gross income numbers (rather than net income) to determine eligibility," she concluded.

Finn said she is excited about the open house, which will begin on Saturday at 9 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. Those curious about the facility and services are asked to congregate at the leasing office, Apt. 31, for refreshments and to register for door prizes.