The Lord Stirling School Senior Housing Project, which converted the century old school into a brand-new 49-unit senior housing complex that includes two courtyards, a community room, a computer lab and community seating areas for residents, opened its doors to the public yesterday with a formal ribbon cutting ceremony on Hassart Street.
The Lord Stirling project is the third phase of the New Brunswick HOPE VI redevelopment project. There will also be on-site parking and a Resident Services coordinator on the premises, according to the press release.
"I think it's wonderful," said Roland Barnes, a lifetime resident of New Brunswick who moved into the Lord Stirling Senior Housing project last week. "It's hard to find a decent place. I've lived here all my life and I'd wanted to continue living here. It's a wonderful place."
Lord Stirling's first residents moved in on Nov. 19, and all units were occupied by the end of December, according to the release.
"I think something this country forgets is they don't take care of the seniors. Most places it's a 6 to 12 month wait to get in, and they might not even have a spot open," Barnes said. "We weren't born old. We paid our dues. Now we want to settle down."
New Brunswick Mayor James C. Cahill expressed pride in the project so many had worked so hard for.
"This is a great day for the project," Cahill said about the housing phase. "It's a great program. In my position as mayor and with my team, we try to discuss how to make New Brunswick a great place to live as framed within the bigger picture. We really want to revitalize the neighborhood."
Executive Director of the New Brunswick Housing Authority John Clarke said he thinks Hope VI will change the face of New Brunswick.
"Change is coming, and it's coming in the form of Hope VI," he said. "We have hope that we'll make this a better community, that we'll change areas that weren't exactly the best places to be after dark into habitable environments."
Clarke said the building is a testament to the long hours and hard work put into it.
"We were willing to meet with anybody," he said. "We had a running tally on how many meetings we'd had. I think we stopped after 210-215 or so. But we took that information given to us by everyone and you see their input in every room, every hallway, every bathroom in this place."
George Berry, a resident who worked very closely with state and federal personnel in the planning of the project, said teamwork is key to get projects like this one off the ground.
"I have been involved in a lot of projects, and you need good partnerships if you want to get anywhere," he said. "A community is only as good as the people in the community."
Cahill agreed and said he thinks Hope VI will make New Brunswick even better in the future.
"Standing here after the project is in its final state, it's easy to forget how much hard work we put in," Cahill said. "How revolutionary the Hope VI redevelopment project was. But the fact is we've made this town's living conditions better, and that should remind us all of what this is about."
