By JALEN WADE
PHOTO CREDIT Jalen Wade
Attick Towers, a 108-unit apartment building for tenants ages 60 and up, is starting its third year of a renovation project that could last up to five more years.
The public housing development, owned by College Park’s Housing Authority, is located in North College Park on Rhode Island Avenue across the street from the Branchville Volunteer Fire Department.
Michelle Johnson, the Housing Authority’s director, said repairs that have been needed for decades began on the building in March 2023 and could cost up to $16 million.
“It’s a building that’s, you know, about 50 years old, and there’s a lot of deferred maintenance,” Councilmember Susan Whitney (District 2) said. “I mean, the federal [Department of] Housing and Urban Development, you know, HUD, has not really, over time, provided enough funds to any housing projects around the country to really maintain those buildings in a way that’s necessary.”
So far, the repairs have included replacing more than 170 heating and air conditioning units and modernizing the elevators and piping. Next projects will include replacing the building’s generator, cooling tower and boiler by next year, according to Johnson.
“The Housing Authority needs around $14 million right now,” said Johnson, who explained that the money so far has come from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and Prince George’s County grants.
The College Park City Council allocated $1.25 million in ARPA funds toward the renovations in 2022. The city council on Sept. 24 allocated an additional $750,000 of federal ARPA money toward the renovation, bringing the amount raised for the project to nearly $3 million.
The recent $750,000 allocation came when the city council reallocated funds it was saving for Meals on Wheels of College Park to move from Riverdale back to College Park, but the move fell through.
To keep the project running smoothly, Johnson said she is continuing to apply for grants and hopes to be able to eventually refinance the building to help pay for repairs.
