Sunday, April 5, 2009

SO YOU WANT TO LIVE HERE











Well, don't begin packing just yet, as housing is scarce and what housing projects are here have a one to three year waiting list. I will go into a few of the projects and give you a kind of rundown on them...

EDEN APARTMENTS - this, like many of the projects is run by the Bar Harbor Housing Authority, which handles much of Hancock county. This is really the hidden gem - because it is really not a housing project like any you've seen before. Its located on the Woodbury Road, just off West Street Extention, and a stones throw fro m the entrance to Acadia national park. As you can see by the three photos above, this project is truly in the country, yet minutes away from downtown. And it is not unusual to spot deer and foxes in the area.
the buildings themselves are made up of 6 duplexes which make up a total of 12 unites. Each unit has its own driveway, which can easily hold up to 2 to 3 cars. Each unit has its own large front and back lawn area, and many of the units also have a large area of lawn to the side as well. There are woods to the backs of the units, and only two private houses across the roadway, mostly hidden by trees and brush. Each unit also has its own fenced in area in the rear where little ones can play.
The housing mows the lawns. Each unit has coin washer and dryers - .50 to dry and .75 to wash. I've lived in several other projects, and these units are pretty large. They have wall to wall carpets, and most units are single story (one duplex is two story, this offers 3 bedrooms on both sides.)
The other duplexes are two beedroom units. There is only one garbage dumpster, so you have to walk or drive to it. It sets right beside the maintance garage near the center of the project. There is also one small playground on site.
The two family units offer a large walk-in closet, which I use to use as a small office. The kitchen area itself is small, but plenty of room for what you use it for. The dining room is on the other side of the kitchen, with a service opening through the wall to pass plates and food from the kitchen to the dining room. How cool is that. Many families over the years have used the dining room as an extra bedroom and placed the dining table in the corner of the living room. We did this as well until we got into a 3 bedroom.
The units are in the process of getting major redos, everything from kitchen cabinets to new doors and weatherized windows and new roofing. The housing encourages people to plant flowers, so you can put in an area for flowers. We even plant a row of vegatables along the side of the house. Before I forget, in winter, the housing also plows the yards.
Rent here is based upon 30% of your income. So its affordable for everyone, kind of.....the one major drawback is each unit is heated with electric heat, and you pay the electric bill. I live in a 3 bedroom unit, and each year there is one month where the bill is highest. Last year the highest month was $350, and this winter, with rising electric rates, the highest was near $400. The state has a heap program which will cover (if you qualify) the worst month. January is usually the worst month on your electric bill, Dec drops to about $250 and it gets better each month after.
Now if your income is really low, the housing will pay some or all of the rent and heating costs. And if your already living here and lose your job, they will pick up the rent and heating costs, but you will have to do some hours of community service for them doing that.
New siding and windows to be added soon should help out with the heating costs. I think I covered about everything. At one end of the street is the road leading into the national park, as well as a few condos and some country homes, on the other end of the street is the Kebo golf course, and the school a short distance away.
Oh yeah, one street over, still part of eden apartments, are two duplexes that offer one bedroom apartments.
The Bar Harbor Housing Authority can be reached at 207-288-4770


ACADIA APARTMENTS

This project was purchased and turned into employee housing, it is no longer a housing project.


BIRCHWOOD APARTMENTS

Located on the quiet side of the island (and I do mean quiet side) there are actually two projects here, divided into three sections. As you turn into the project, the first 6 units are at the bottom of the hill. There is also a small playground here, and a small park with benches across the driveway which overlooks the main road and post office.
As you drive to the top of the small hill, you turn left into a large parking lot with about 12 units overlooking the parking lot. Thses are for elederly or disabled folks. The apartments at the bottom of the hill are for family or disabled. Now instead of turning left, at the top of the hill, you turn right into that parking lot, and your at the second half of the family, disabled units. These units are older units, but still very nice. The units as you drive in are newer units. Okay, don't know much about the elderly units, other then they have a common laundry room, and are hot water heated. Heat is included in your rent, so that's nice. You can have a small pet, but it will cost you - inquire with the housing as to how much.


BIRCHWOOD APARTMENTS - BASS HARBOR, LOWER SECTION

Family units, top and bottom, washer and dryers in each unit. .50 to dry and .75 to wash. There are only two three bedroom units here total, one at each end of the upper units. There are about 8 units to the upper section, all in one section, with small front lawns, and common parking area. Rent is based on 30% of your income and heat is also included in your rent. Wall to wall carpets, except in bathroom and kitchen areas, the kitchen itself is small, but the living rooms are large, at least in the 3 bedrooms units.


BIRCHWOOD APARTMENTS, BASS HARBOR - UPPER SECTION

No mail is delivered here except to the elderly section. You will have to get a PO box across the street, or you won't get mail. This is a very quiet project, with the Bass harbor lighthouse about a mile down the road in one direction and a food store (lot huge) about 3/4 of a mile in the other direction. About another 4th of a mile is a second store. Both offer pizza counters, some meats, and the the stuff you would expect to find in a small store. The nearest large food store is in nearby Southwest Harbor, the surefine store. The Bass harbor Ferry is also within a short walk of the project, as are several small restarants.
Tjhese units are heated by hot water pipes. Housing pays for the heat. The bigest drawback to this place, besides not being too close to a major food store, is that there are no back doors to any of the units. The back of each unit has a very large picture window in each of the living rooms. The fire department is just around the corner and the local school is about 3/4 of a mile away. These units are surrounded by woods all around, and as you drive up to the top of the hill to reach the upper units, if you drove straight ahead instead of turning into one of the parking lots, it would lead through the woods, passing a few private homes, and come out at a small pond.
This road is posted, but many of the locals use it to reach the pond.
For more info, contact the Bar Harbor Housing Authority at 207-288-4770


OTHER PROJECTS RUN BY THE BAR HARBOR HOUSING AUTHORITY

Malvern-Belmont estates - located right in downtown, easy walk to everything. This is elderly and disabled only, and the housing authority has their offices here as well.

Rodick-Lorriane - located right by the school, very close to downtown, this also is an elderly-disabled project.

MAPLE LANE APARTMENTS - Located on the quiet side of the island, it sets on a dead end road close to downtown area. This is a family and disabled project. I believe the rent is based upon 30% of your income and the units are two bedrooms each.

Norwood Cove Apartments - located in Southwest Harbor, again, these are elderly apartments.

RIDGE APARTMENTS - I believe this also is an elderly.disabled project. It is just outside of town in a deep woods setting.

Union River Estates - located off island, in the city of Ellsworth. Don't know much about it. You would have to inquire. Don't know if this is the one, but the housing does operate a small housing project in Ellsworth.

Okay, almost all of these projects I've listed are run by other housing authority names, but in fact, it is the bar harbor housing authority that manages all of them except Acadia apartments. Just call and tell them the apartment name your interested in and they will handle it.

Bar harbor has at least 2 to 3 cab companies at any given time, and the quiet side of the island has 1 to 2 cab companies. From june through late septem,ber the island explorer buses will take you just about anywhere where you want to go on the island for free. And there is also the commuter buses that run from Bar Harbor off island to Ellsworth and Bangor, as well as other towns. And if your disabled in any way, there is island connections, which will arrange for free rides to doctors as well as shopping for food or even off island to the shopping centers in Ellsworth.
The housing authority also offers a service to shopping and doctors as well, they charge by the hour...inquire as to the price.Shortly I hope to post pictures of the projects as well as the surrounding area around them...

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