September 11, 2025
MINUTES OF A MEETING
The Regular Meeting of the Norwalk Housing Authority Board of Commissioners convened at 5:30pm September 11, 2025.
Location: Zoom Video Conference
Present:
Brenda Penn-Williams, Chair (left at 6:22pm)
John Church, Treasurer
Isaac Walcott, Commissioner
Teneshia Jacobs, Commissioner (joined at 6:39pm)
Absent:
Liza Bermúdez-Montgomery, Vice Chair
Staff Attending:
Adam Bovilsky, Executive Director
Alison Mukhtar, Director of Operation
Anna Keegan, Director of Policy, and MTW
Connie Hewitt, Director of Personal and Labor Relations
Kras Carlucci, Deputy Director
Leala Marlin, Manager of Project Development
Lisa Endo, Director of Development
Leroy Fender, Director of Maintenance
Greg Lickwola, Director of Modernization
Jeff Oduro, Director of IT
Donna Lattarulo, Outside General Council, Lattarulo Law Firm, LLC
Roll Call:
At 5:35pm, Chair Penn-Williams opened the meeting. Chair Penn-Williams recognized, Treasurer John Church and Commissioner Isaac Walcott as present and acknowledged the presence of a quorum.. She noted that both Vice Chair and Commissioner Teneshia Jacobs, due to work conflicts, were not expected to attend tonight's meeting.
Report of the Secretary:
1. Norwalk Housing Scholarship Foundation recently received donations included - $75,000 Bauer Family Foundation, $10,000 Per and Astrid Family Foundation, and $1,000 from Ed Orenstein. Comcast's Project Up donated $20,000 to NHA Learning Centers student success tutoring program. This Comcast donation also included twenty-five laptop computers and charging stations.
Mr. Bovilsky also shared photographs of the Norwalk Housing Scholarship Ceremony held July 14, 2025. This ceremony recognized the achievements of fifty-two (52) students who were awarded a combined total of $280,000 in scholarships.
Mr. Bovilsky highlighted the recent Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) graduation ceremony, which recognized ten graduates who received escrow payouts upon graduating ranging from $1,700 to $71,000. One FSS graduate, who spoke at the event described the program as "life changing." The goal of the FSS's program is to help individuals and families achieve economic independence by providing tools and support such as career development, advanced certifications or degree programs, debt reduction, and credit repair.
2. The RFP for a Strategic Planning consultant was published on July 19, 2025, and three (3) proposals were received by the deadline of 8/18/2025. A selection committee comprised of Adam Bovilsky, Kras Carlucci, Charmaine Davis-Ford and Christie Stewart, a senior advisor to the Housing Collective will review the proposals with a recommendation expected by the next board meeting.
3. Upcoming events include:
10/9 - October Board Meeting
10/17 - Freedom Fund Banquet
11/13 - November Board Meeting
Old Business:
Mr. Bovilsky updated the board regarding:
a. Shortfall funding
Mr. Bovislky explained that at the start of fiscal year 2026, HUD auditors mistakenly withdrew $515,000 from NHA's budget, citing a 4% funding overage. NHA contested the finding, asserting it was an error. HUD later acknowledged the mistake and restored the funds with interest, totaling $530,000. To help manage the shortfall, HUD has been front loading its monthly allocations. Additionally, NHA has submitted a shortfall funding request and expects a response from HUD by the end of September.
b. Direct Rental Assistance
Mr. Bovilsky noted that Norwalk Housing staff are working with philanthropies including the CT Project and The Melville Charitable Trust and research agencies to explore Direct Rental Assistance. We are now into the weeds of planning to implement a policy and a pilot program. Under this initiative, 5-10 families - who are approximately two years away from reaching the top of the Section 8 waiting list would be selected to receive this funding. The focus of the experiment is what happens if the NHA has no relationship with the landlord as funding flows directly to the tenant/client.. After two years, these families should be at the top of the Section 8 waitlist and be eligible for a voucher. We hope to present this initiative to the Board soon for approval of the related policies and procedures.
New Business:
A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Construction Manager of the 79 S Main Street project was opened on May 22, 2025, and closed on June 23, 2025. Evaluation criteria included experience with CHFA -funded senior housing, value engineering and expertise in prefabricated panels and Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) construction. The three top scoring firms- Enterprise Builders, La Rosa Building Group, and Viking Construction- were interviewed between July 17 - 23.
Based on their experience with both CLT and conventional building structures, familiarity with CHFA / DOH projects, relevant project expertise, and strong references .. A staff site visit of LaRosa's two Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) projects and a meeting with the potential Project Manager further supported this selection. Staff recommend awarding this contract to La Rosa Construction Co
At 5:48pm
40-65 Chair Penn-Williams moved to go into Executive Session to discuss negotiations with La Rosa Building Group.
Commissioner Walcott seconded the motion.
Commissioners adjourned to the Executive Session.
At 5:52pm
40-66 Treasurer Church moved to exit the Executive Session.
Commissioner Walcott seconded the motion.
Commissioners returned to the Regular meeting.
40-67 Treasurer Church made a motion to select:
a. La Rosa Building Group as the 79 S. Main Construction Manager conditioned on the terms discussed in executive session.
Commissioner Walcott seconded the motion.
Ayes
Chair Penn-Williams
Treasurer Church
Commissioner Walcott
All in favor. Motion carried.
Lisa Endo remained on the floor to discuss:
b. Selection of a name for 79 S. Main
Ms. Endo shared that Sound Communities will be selecting a name for the development currently referred to as "79 S. Main." She stated that the naming process will involve input from key community stakeholders including NHA Board of Commissioners, Leroy Downs tenants, and the Mutual Housing Advisory Board. Each group will have an opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed names.
At this stage, the following names are under consideration:
• The Leroy
• Chestnut Commons
• Chestnut & Main
Chair Penn-Williams suggested that the name "Leroy Downs" be added to the list as a potential name. Lisa confirmed that "Leroy Downs" would be added and presented to the stake holders and that the final name will be selected through a ranked-choice voting process, after which the official name will be announced.
Anna Keegan took the floor to introduce proposed changes to the NHA Administrative plan, specifically the replacement of HUD's former Housing Quality Standards (HQS) with the new National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE). These updated standards will apply to families receiving Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) and Project Based Voucher (PBV) rental assistance.
40-68 Treasurer Church moved to:
c. Amend the NHA Administrative Plan to utilize NSPIRE Housing Choice Voucher inspection standards.
Ms. Keegan noted that while NSPIRE and HQS share similarities, NSPIRE prioritizes functional and critical safety issues within the dwelling unit, rather than over all aesthetics. She explained that NSPIRE is a data driven approach to ensure housing quality in HUD programs, standardizing inspections to improve tenant centered outcomes.
Mr. Bovilsky noted that in early 2027 the adoption of NSPIRE inspection methods will be required by HUD.
Commissioner Walcott seconded the motion.
Ayes
Chair Penn-Williams
Treasurer Church
Commissioner Walcott
All in favor. Motion carried.
Allison Mukhtar addressed the meeting to request approval of the 2026 Section 8 payment standards. She explained that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allows Moving to Work (MTW) housing authorities, such as Norwalk Housing, to set payment standards up to 120% of the Fair Market Rent (FMR). Ms. Mukhtar stated that the payment standards for units in higher-opportunity (upper census tract)areas have been set at 120% of FMR to encourage residents and applicants to move to those areas. For lower opportunity (lower census tract) areas, the payment standard has been set at 115% of FMR (up from 113% last year) to help tenants successfully lease housing.
Ms. Mukhtar also noted HUD has mandated a change to the catchment area, which now consolidates the Fair Market Rent (FMR) area of the "Stamford-Norwalk Metro Area" to now include the metro areas of Bridgeport and Danbury. As a result of this regional consolidation, Norwalk payment standards have decreased for the second consecutive year.
Chair Penn-Williams expressed concern over HUD's decision to revise the catchment areas and suggested that Norwalk Housing Authority (NHA) appeal the change. She noted that rents in Norwalk are significantly higher than those in Bridgeport and Danbury, and that combining these areas under a single Fair Market Rent (FMR) would disadvantage Norwalk residents.
Chair Penn-Williams formally requested that NHA pursue an appeal of HUD's decision. The Commissioners agreed, citing concerns that the reduced payment standards are unfair to both landlords and tenants in Norwalk.
Mr. Bovilsky noted that staff were already looking to appeal the merger, but that, barring a successful appeal, approval of these payment standards would align with publication of the NHA Annual Plan and would enable NHA to proactively communicate with landlords regarding the 2026 payment standards. Mr. Bovilsky said that if an appeal is successful, the Commissioners could still change the payments standards at their November meeting long before the new payment standards go into effect.
40-69 Treasure Church moved to approve:
d. 2026 HCV payment standards, with the understanding that NHA will pursue an appeal of HUD's revised catchment area designation and amend the Annual Plan if catchment area is revised.
Commissioner Walcott seconded the motion.
At 6:22pm
Chair Brenda Penn-Williams left the meeting and quorum was lost.
At 6:35pm
Connie Hewitt, Lisa Endo, Greg Lickwola, Linda Rolle, Sherreida Reid, Leroy Fender, Wendy Gerbier and Jeff Oduro were excused from the meeting.
At 6:39pm
Commissioner Jacobs joined the meeting by phone, and a quorum was reestablished.
Treasurer Church reviewed the status of the current motion to approve 2026 HCV payment standards with Commissioner Jacobs. He also mentioned that Chair Penn-Williams had apparently left the meeting in order to stop the vote.
Ayes
Treasurer Church
Commissioner Walcott
Commissioner Jacobs
All in favor. Motion carried.
40-70 Treasurer Church made a motion to change the order of the agenda moving to:
f. Solar Panel Contractor Selection
Commissioner Walcott seconded the motion.
Ayes
Treasurer Church
Commissioner Walcott
Commissioner Jacobs
All in favor. Motion carried.
40-71 Treasurer Church made a motion to approve:
f. Connecticut Green Bank to install solar panels at Colonial Village
Commissioner Walcott seconded the motion.
Ayes
Treasurer Church
Commissioner Walcott
Commissioner Jacobs
All in favor. Motion carried.
The remaining agenda items were tabled.
Commissioner Jacobs left the meeting.
Treasurer Church moved to adjourn the meeting.
Commissioner Walcott seconded the motion.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:12pm
Respectfully submitted,
_______________________
Adam Bovilsky, Executive Director