WCAX reports on the redevelopment of Darling Inn in Lyndonville, VT:
Lyndonville’s Darling Inn officially reopened Saturday after a year long project aimed to improve the historic building. Willie Mitchem lives at the Darling Inn in Lyndonville, an affordable apartment complex that he says stands out from places he’s lived before. “The staff loves me. I go over there, pay my rent, and they say, ‘thank you Mr. Mitchem.’ I say, ‘You’re welcome ladies!’ I’m a flirt,” said resident Willie Mitchem. But he says the building needed a few upgrades. On Saturday, officials and residents celebrated the reopening of the Darling Inn after a year long redevelopment project. “It’s beautiful. My bedroom’s big. My living room’s medium. My kitchen: I love it. The cupboards are down where I can reach them. Excellent,” Mitchem said. The Inn was originally built in the 1920s as a hotel, but it now consists of 28 affordable housing units for elderly and disabled citizens. Officials say they hoped to both improve and restore the historic building. The total project cost more than $5 million and was funded with help from 1.3 million dollar loan from USDA Rural Development. The changes included making the building more energy efficient, and making apartments more accessible. “Roll in showers and grab bars. Improving the kitchens, making sure that they’re very accessible, and then in terms of the heating system, we upgraded the old oil system to a wood pellet furnace,” said Trisha Ingalls, RuralEdge CEO.
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