Gabe Handy, Governor Jim Douglas and Diane Handy cut the ribbon to celebrate the opening of new condominums for seniors in Fairfax
Fairfax senior housing dedicatedGovernor commends developer for persistenceBy RICK BURNHAM
Messenger Staff WriterFAIRFAX - Smiles, handshakes and ribbon-cutting festivities were the order of the day in Fairfax Thursday, as state and community leaders celebrated the opening of a condominium building designed to accommodate senior citizens.
Developer Gabe Handy's 47-unit Fairfax Green Adult Community opened amid cheers from a large crowd that included Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas and state representative Carolyn Branagan of Franklin County's District 1, which includes Georgia and Fairfax.
Douglas joined Handy and wife, Diane, to cut a red ribbon near the front door of the facility in a ceremony that was mostly symbolic: facility manager Chris Santee said a dozen units have either been leased or sold to area residents.
Symbolic or not, the opening of any housing complex dedicated to senior citizens is a good thing, Douglas said.
"This is one of the most important items on our state's public policy agenda," he said, "We have been talking a lot about it this past year, and we will be talking more about it when the legislature reconvenes. We have a real lack of housing units in Vermont, and we are going to need tens of thousands of more. As the population ages, we need to make sure they are appropriate for the changes in demographic."
Thursday's festivities followed a yearlong legal dispute between Handy and the Fairfax Selectboard over water metering concerns. Douglas briefly mentioned the well-publicized battles between the two sides, which included court sessions in Franklin and Chittenden County courtrooms.
"I know there have been a few bumps in the road, but I know everyone appreciates your persistence," he said to Gabe Handy "It is going to make a lot of difference to a lot of folks. This is the first opportunity of this kind in this area. It really will mean a lot to a lot of Vermonters."
Diane Handy echoed the governor's remarks, saying that Vermont's ranking, as the second-oldest population of any state, clearly points out the need for more housing for its senior citizens.
"Generations staying in the same household and taking care of each other from one generation to the next, those things have changed," she said.
"But this might be the next best thing. Our senior citizens, who are part of the 'greatest generation,' they are the ones of an age who very definitely need this type of a facility. The desire is there, the need is there. I think they are going to enjoy it."
Branagan agreed.
"This is a beautiful facility and a much-needed facility for Franklin County and northwestern Vermont," she said. "We all know and have in our families elderly people who are looking for safe adequate housing central to the community, central to the churches and shopping, and this facility certainly will offer that."[/b]
