Ansonia’s Housing Authority has new leadership.
Troy White, who served as executive director of the housing authority for the past two years, left last month to take a job in Florida, according to Chairman Robert Lisi.
Last month the housing authority voted unanimously to appoint Robert Henderson, an 18-year employee of the housing authority and formerly its operations director, to fill the executive director’s post on an interim basis.
The housing authority met Tuesday to finalize a separation agreement with White paying him for 24 accrued vacation and sick days.
The payment will be pro-rated based on the $120,000 salary White was making at the time he resigned.
Henderson will receive a $5,000 monthly stipend for the job.
Lisi said the housing authority will review Henderson’s performance on a month-to-month basis before making a permanent appointment.
In the meantime, the housing authority will look to find a new director of operations to take over Henderson’s former role.
The authority’s members voted unanimously last month “with much regret” to accept White’s resignation.
Lisi said he’s been happy with Henderson’s performance in the past month or so.
Henderson’s local experience helped with a smooth transition after White left, he said.
“We felt the continuity here with someone in Bob’s position — he’s been the director of operations under Troy for the past two years — we needed continuity and we have that in Bob,” Lisi said.
Olson Drive
The chairman said Henderson will have plenty to do in his new job, the most important task being the planned redevelopment of the Riverside Apartments on Olson Drive.
The city began tearing the buildings down in September 2009.
A second tear-down phase started in October 2013. A chain-link fence now surrounds half the site.
The city wanted to preserve a chunk of the site as “open space” -— and even asked residents on a 2013 referendum question to give the city the OK to borrow $330,000 to purchase the property -— but were shut down by federal housing officials. A federal housing discrimination complaint was also filed in connection to the open space idea.
In 2014 the city entered into a “conciliation agreement” calling for the redevelopment of affordable housing on the site —- and the right of current residents to return there once it is redeveloped -— to settle the housing discrimination complaint.
Mayor David Cassetti also wants to build a new police station on the property.
The housing authority has set aside 2 acres for the city’s project.
Meanwhile, after talks with HUD, housing officials have a redevelopment plan that would put 54 affordable housing units on Olson Drive to replace the more than 160 that once stood there.
The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved the plans last October.
The housing authority had hoped to relocate everyone living in the buildings by the end of 2015 — with a view to starting the demolition this month — but that didn’t happen.
There are still two families in the Riverside buildings closest to the Maple Street Bridge, Lisi said Tuesday.
Once they are relocated — Lisi hopes that will be “very, very” soon — he said the housing authority will seek quotes from demolition companies to take the remaining three buildings on the property down.
“That’s huge. It’s big,” Lisi said. “We’re working expeditiously on that. We’re getting there and we’re happy with the progress. Soon we’ll get the demolition paperwork out there and we’ll take a look at bids.”
A site plan and architectural drawings showing the planned redevelopment are embedded below.
