Highland Manor Apartments finds interested buyer

Beki Brandborg of Echo Enterprises in Helena, is in the process of purchasing Highland Manor Apartments in southeastern Highland Park with the intention of renovating the 32 units from top to bottom.

Brandborg met with the Hill County Commissioners Monday to seek their approval and support in this endeavor.

"I want the county to be comfortable with this and happy about it," she said.

She said Highland Manor is in better shape than other similar projects she has worked on, but she's interested in giving the place some "TLC," as the residents put it earlier that morning when she met with some of them.

Among the improvements she wants to make are the installation of high-quality double paned windows, and a new heating system to replace the electric baseboards that residents tell her are often unreliable.

She also wants to install solar panels on the roofs to lower residents' electric bills.

"My biggest priority in doing these projects is efficiency, so new appliances, energy efficient hot water etc., and handicap accessibility," Brandborg said.

She said she hopes to give all 16 ground-level apartments wheel-in showers with grab bars, but depending on how much money she gets for the project, that plan may have to be scaled back to eight units.

"The reason I'm doing that is that it's just logical, we are an aging population in Montana," she said.

Brandborg said she plans to move residents out during the renovation using professional movers to get them into hotels or other apartments if they are available. She said she would cover all the costs for that temporary move and would personally oversee the process to make sure it's as smooth as possible.

She said she's hoping to renovate eight units at a time, so residents still living there wouldn't have to worry as much about safety or noise, but the plan may change to four units at a time depending on the circumstances.

Brandborg said each round of renovations should take about 10 weeks.

She said she wanted to make the process as low-stress as possible for the residents while still giving them what they want in a living space.

"I want to make it into a place that I would by happy with my mother living in," she said.

Brandborg said she wants the improvements to be high-quality enough that the manor won't need major upgrades for the next 40 years.

Brandborg said she intends to pay for the purchase and renovations with low-income housing tax credits awarded by the Montana Board of Housing, which will make a decision about awarding the funds in October.

She said these credits are the equivalent of $500,000 but she intends to sell the tax credits to investors, typically large insurance companies and banks. She said she predicts she will have between $2-3 million at least by the time she sells the credits.

She said she is confident that her project will be awarded these credits because it is coupled with new apartment buildings being built in Billings, which are part of a 4-9 Project, a type of project that, she said, all seven members of the Montana Board of Housing love for its efficiency.

"Our application is the only one," Brandborg said.

She said if all goes as she plans she will make the purchase at the end of this year, and begin renovation soon afterward.

Brandborg said her purchase of the property won't just result in an improvement of the low-income housing apartment, but to keep it out of the hands of private companies which may be willing to put the apartments on the general market.

"If someone like me doesn't buy Highland Manor they could sell it to a private company who may well take it out of subsidized status," she said, "A good number of the residents pay zero rent because their income is so low."

"We would hate to see those apartments go to market rate, everyone there would have to move out," she added.

Hill County Commissioner Mike Wendland said he agreed that this housing should stay open to the people that are in the most need.

"If that's what its going to take to keep that housing on the market for the people that need it," Wendland said.

Brandborg requested that the commission write a letter of support for the project, and if possible, to testify in favor of the project at the Oct. 19 meeting to the Montana Board of Housing, the commission agreed to both requests.

Brandborg said she intends to meet with people from Bear Paw Development Corp, HRDC, United Way of Hill County, Havre Public Schools, MSU-Northern, the Council on Aging, Northern Montana Hospital and the Bullhook Community Health Center to find similar support.

She said she already received support from the Havre city government.

She met with a number of residents of Highland Manor Monday evening to get suggestions about changes they would like to see, as well as what they didn't want changed.

First among the latter list was manager LuAnn Brabson who the residents insisted should stay and who Brandborg promised wouldn't be going anywhere.

"My priorities are your priorities," Brandborg said, "I want to do what makes you happy safe and comfortable."

Another promise she made regarded rent, which she said, would not be raised unless a resident started making more money.

"Your rent does not change, I promise," she said.

During the meeting residents made a lot of suggestions and requests including the addition of picnic tables and a garden area for the outdoor area.

They also suggested some sidewalk improvements for handicapped residents along with improved outdoor lighting.

Residents also asked for improvements for the walls of the apartments, which many of them said are thin enough that they can hear practically everything going on in adjacent apartments.

Finally, they requested the installation of surveillance cameras and improved security to prevent people who were not supposed to be in their building from getting in, which has apparently been a problem in the past.

Brandborg said between the two meetings she had with residents that day she had compiled well over 10 pages of notes detailing suggestions and requests from residents.

"We've got a pretty big wish list, but I'll do as much of it as I can," she said.