WEST NEW YORK – Even though tenants living in the Fillmore Gardens housing project on 60th Street will have to be relocated while their buildings are demolished, ultimately, town officials say, the residents will only benefit, as the property will become part of the town’s new three-site public housing development project. “We want people to understand that we are not trying to chase people out of their homes,” said Mayor Albio Sires last week. “We realized early on that there was a large need for housing. Unfortunately, federal dollars were not there to provide for the repairs that were needed by some of our housing projects. Though we have tried to remedy the problems at Fillmore Gardens, it just has been in a dilapidated state. We felt it would serve the town better to tear it down and build a safer, more livable place for our families. We know it’s not an easy transition, but we are working with the tenants to accommodate them while we try to move forward on this project.” Changing Phases The Fillmore Gardens, located at 6015 60th St., was originally built to house returning World War II veterans in the 1940s. When it was taken over by the West New York Housing Authority in 1961, they ran it with no federal aid. Money for maintenance came from the city. After enduring an unstable economy and troubles with different administrations over the years, the Fillmore Gardens found itself with obsolete electrical and heating systems, broken plumbing fixtures, and roof leaks. “We realized that the Fillmore Gardens was in a deteriorated state, and unfortunately, the lack of funding over the years has not enabled us to do the repairs we would have needed to fix the problems,” said West New York housing director Bob DiVincent last week. “Today, we are trying to remedy that problem and build a new site that will provide better-quality housing for all our residents. Some of our tenants weren’t living in the safest conditions, but we are now trying to relocate them before we proceed with anything else.” The authority has been relocating tenants to other apartments it owns or manages over the past several months and the response has been good, DiVincent said. As of now, only 25 of the complex’s 45 units are still occupied, mostly by adults. Though several of the tenants who still live in the building wouldn’t comment on the new project, one long-time resident who lives on 60th Street and Park Avenue said he hopes that the city will not forget the tenants. “I had relatives that use to live in the Fillmore Gardens, and it may not have been a great building, but it’s like its own community there,” said Emilio, a 72-year-old retired maintenance worker, in Spanish. He would not give his last name. “The place has been in disrepair for a long time, but now that I hear that they might tear it down, it may be better for this neighborhood. Families need good homes. Why give them less when the city can do better.” The city plans to tear down the aging 45-unit public housing complex some time in the Spring of 2001 to make way for a $20 million development of 139 housing units that will be spread over the three sites – but only if the town can find the money for the project. “We are in the process right now of applying for federal grants to give us the green light to move this project towards its completion,” said DiVincent. “We’ve located the sites, and if we are approved in the next few months, that will be the key to making this project a success.” Waiting for funding According to Sires, who is the chairman of the West New York Housing Corporation, a seven-member not-for-profit group that manages the Housing Authority, funding will be generated through county, state and local agencies to assist with the project. To that end, the corporation will be applying for federal low-income housing grants in April through the New Jersey Housing Financing Agency. Besides Fillmore Gardens, the other sites for the project include the old Madison Manor catering hall property and parking lot on 60th Street and the old town public works garage on 62nd Street and Dewey Avenue. Both locations are capable of supporting a three-story building with three-bedroom apartments, DiVincent said. The third site, Fillmore Gardens, will contain 104 apartments including a combination of one- and two-bedroom apartments, some leased commercial office space, and a parking garage with one level reserved for tenants and the other for the public. Jose Carballo of Design Group Architecture, who was hired by the Housing Corporation to draw the blueprints for three five-story buildings, agreed that the work being done is worthwhile. “We are very enthusiastic about being a part of this project,” Carballo said. “Often the problem is not being able to reconstruct these old buildings so they are more livable for people. Instead, we are taking the Fillmore place and building a site that will bring better quality housing for these families. It adds to the overall quality of life, and it’s a great opportunity not only for us, but for the people of West New York.”