Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Celebrates Completion of the Residences at Eastport in Tennessee

A tile mural reflecting the Ukrainian experience is displayed on the Ascension Manor building

The October 25 ribbon cutting ceremony at Eastport recognized that along with new construction, the historic Eastport Elementary School was transformed into a new gated LEED (http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19) certified housing community for 85 senior residents, which also features seven accessible units. The HUD funded project supports the initial phase of the Five-Points Redevelopment Plan and was accomplished using $6.5 million in ARRA funds and $869,000 in NSP1 funding, as part of a $14.46 million dollar project. The development of this project is lead by Knoxville Community Development Corporation (KCDC) (http://www.kcdc.org/en/Home.aspx), who administers HUD's Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher Programs; with partnership from HUD; city of Knoxville; Knox County; private sector; and the community leadership.

Mayor Brown said that he was "excited to see new projects in our area" and noted that this was one of the fifteen fragile projects that the Knox Heritage Foundation (http://www.knoxheritage.org/preservationfund) had declared in need of preservation. Mayor Burchett noted that this project will provide safe, community style living for more than 80 seniors.

Ed Ellis said "this is an example of things to come" and emphasized that this isn't just about housing, this also is about the economy and the creation of jobs for the community. Alvin Nance said "this is a signal to the community that we are fully embracing the revitalization of the area."

The ribbon cutting ceremony was opened by Culver Schmid, KCDC Board Chair, who introduced speakers Mayor Brown (http://www.ci.knoxville.tn.us/mayor/), City of Knoxville, Mayor Burchett, Knox County Mayor (http://www.knoxcounty.org/countymayor/), Ed Ellis, Field Office Director, Knoxville HUD Office, and KCDC President and CEO Alvin Nance. Also in attendance from HUD was Suzanne Wright, from Field Policy and Management, and Kellie Stines from Public and Indian Housing.

The first tenants will occupy the units in November. The units feature keyless entry FOB locks that also serve as emergency notification devices.

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