The Norwood Housing Authority requested $175,000 in Community Preservation Act funds to help replace roofs at Washington Heights, a 75‑unit public housing development that the authority says is largely at the end of its useful life.

A representative of the Norwood Housing Authority (identified in the meeting as Shawn, Housing Authority representative) told the committee that Washington Heights — built as veterans’ housing in the early 1950s — includes roughly 75 units in about 51 buildings, and that around 90% of the roofs have reached the end of their useful life. The authority presented an estimated total project cost of about $754,000 to replace roofs on 26 buildings in a combined design/construction approach intended to reduce per‑unit costs.

The housing authority said the $175,000 CPC request is intended to leverage additional state funds through the High Leverage Asset Preservation program (HILAP). The presenter said HILAP can match CPC funds, with the authority already having a state guarantee of at least a 1:1 match and the possibility of up to a 2.5:1 match depending on timing and availability. The authority described product-level planning showing conceptual per‑building estimates of $30,000 for a triplex and $20,000 for a ranch or duplex configuration; those estimates were presented as design‑phase figures subject to public bidding.

Committee members praised the leverage approach and asked several questions about scope and timing. Patty Griffith Star suggested the committee consider increasing the CPC contribution (for example from $175,000 to $200,000–$225,000) to capture a higher state match and complete a larger share of the roofs at once, rather than staging multiple smaller projects. The housing authority said it would return with cost scenarios showing the impact of higher CPC contributions (100%, 85% coverage, etc.).

Members also asked whether the work will involve full tear‑offs to substrate (the presenter said the authority will remove existing roofing down to substrate and inspect structure), whether the project timeline could move quickly enough to bid this season (authority said construction could be done in months once awarded and the authority aims to bid in the next one to two months) and whether energy improvements or solar opportunities would be considered in future phases.

The committee did not vote on the item at the hearing and asked the authority to supply alternate scenarios showing how higher CPC contributions would affect total units covered and the likely timeline for completing all roofs.

If the CPC and Town Meeting fund the project and the state HILAP match is secured, the authority said it expects to combine state and CPC resources to maximize the number of buildings re‑roofed in a single construction bid.