Post by admin on Jun 14, 2010 7:38:44 GMT -5
www.app.com/article/20100611/NEWS/100611084/Rug-Mill-apartments-Freehold-make-improvements-
FREEHOLD — When Veronica Ross moved to the Rug Mill Towers, she was not happy.
Crowds loitering outside the building, graffiti on the walls, drunk and disoriented
people roaming around - Ross says she found all this when she first arrived at the
affordable housing complex four years ago.
But these days, she says, life at the Rug Mill is quieter. She feels more secure
coming home.
"It's so much better," said Ross.
One recent addition that has improved security, says Ross, is the doubling of the
number of cameras throughout the building.
The change is one of several made in the past year, all part of a series of security
and quality-of-life improvements being made in the building.
A guard now monitors the front entrance and patrols the building from 6 p.m. to 2
a.m. weekdays and from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. weekends. New paint, carpeting and tile have been added in hallways.
And this summer, D&M Property Management, the company that runs the building, plans to create a separate entrance for senior citizen tenants that can only be opened with special fobs. They also plan to add more parking in front of the building and renovate the senior lobby area.
D&M Property Management will host an open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 12 at the Rug Mill Towers, located at the corner of Jackson and Center streets. All are welcome to attend.
The apartment building is divided in two, with one side devoted exclusively to tenants aged 55 and older.
The goal of the upcoming improvements is to make these tenants feel safer, said Bix DiMeo, who owns D&M Property Management with his sister, Terry Mesce.
"Seniors have a tendency to want a little more security," said DiMeo.
he recent upgrades began last year. They have been paid for through about $1 million in grants from the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, DiMeo said.
The Rug Mill Towers first opened its doors in 2000. It offers about 200 apartments,
98 for seniors.
The apartments are available to low- to moderate-income individuals and families, and are offered at discounted rates that range from $659 for a one-bedroom senior apartment to $924 for a three-bedroom non-age-restricted apartment. Water, sewer and heat are included in the prices, said Mesce.
D&M took over management of the building in 2004. When they came in, the building was "very badly neglected," said office manager MaryAnn Mulligan.
In addition to the recent upgrades, DiMeo said a greater focus has been placed on
bringing tenants together. Management has sponsored recent holiday parties, and DiMeo hopes to one day renovate the building's common room.
"We're looking to create a community," said DiMeo.
FREEHOLD — When Veronica Ross moved to the Rug Mill Towers, she was not happy.
Crowds loitering outside the building, graffiti on the walls, drunk and disoriented
people roaming around - Ross says she found all this when she first arrived at the
affordable housing complex four years ago.
But these days, she says, life at the Rug Mill is quieter. She feels more secure
coming home.
"It's so much better," said Ross.
One recent addition that has improved security, says Ross, is the doubling of the
number of cameras throughout the building.
The change is one of several made in the past year, all part of a series of security
and quality-of-life improvements being made in the building.
A guard now monitors the front entrance and patrols the building from 6 p.m. to 2
a.m. weekdays and from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. weekends. New paint, carpeting and tile have been added in hallways.
And this summer, D&M Property Management, the company that runs the building, plans to create a separate entrance for senior citizen tenants that can only be opened with special fobs. They also plan to add more parking in front of the building and renovate the senior lobby area.
D&M Property Management will host an open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 12 at the Rug Mill Towers, located at the corner of Jackson and Center streets. All are welcome to attend.
The apartment building is divided in two, with one side devoted exclusively to tenants aged 55 and older.
The goal of the upcoming improvements is to make these tenants feel safer, said Bix DiMeo, who owns D&M Property Management with his sister, Terry Mesce.
"Seniors have a tendency to want a little more security," said DiMeo.
he recent upgrades began last year. They have been paid for through about $1 million in grants from the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, DiMeo said.
The Rug Mill Towers first opened its doors in 2000. It offers about 200 apartments,
98 for seniors.
The apartments are available to low- to moderate-income individuals and families, and are offered at discounted rates that range from $659 for a one-bedroom senior apartment to $924 for a three-bedroom non-age-restricted apartment. Water, sewer and heat are included in the prices, said Mesce.
D&M took over management of the building in 2004. When they came in, the building was "very badly neglected," said office manager MaryAnn Mulligan.
In addition to the recent upgrades, DiMeo said a greater focus has been placed on
bringing tenants together. Management has sponsored recent holiday parties, and DiMeo hopes to one day renovate the building's common room.
"We're looking to create a community," said DiMeo.
