The Aspen Grove public housing complex is getting a $6.1-million makeover.
Work is underway to replace siding, roofing and insulation at the building along with ventilation, piping and structural upgrades.
“It was in need of a reinvestment in the exterior, for sure,” said Harold Smith, executive director of northern housing operations for Manitoba Housing.
The project began following a meeting involving contractors in August. Since then, the building has been stripped of its old stucco siding.
Work includes extending the eaves on all the roofs to ensure adequate ventilation in the attics and resolve ongoing concerns around moisture accumulation.
Contractors will also replace the water and sewer lines that run through the property.
“They’re old-style pipes, they’re iron pipes,” Smith said. “They wear out.”
The project includes limited interior work, with one unit in need of repairs due to a crack in the foundation.
Manitoba Housing hopes to complete the project by December 2016.
Aspen Grove last received a major upgrade – new siding – in 2003, but not all of the concerns with the building envelope, such as roof ventilation, were addressed at that time.
Smith said it wasn’t Manitoba Housing’s preference to remove siding from 2003, but he added the department is confident this is the right project for the building.
Going forward, he said there are plans to upgrade the interior of the Aspen Grove apartments on a unit-by-unit basis as they become vacant.
The unit upgrades could include fresh paint and, if necessary, new flooring and cabinets. Once work is finished, each unit will reopen to tenants.
The 40-unit Aspen Grove complex opened
in 1972.
