Calkins Commons, the affordable housing venture that will incorporate the historical Calkins Building, will be ready to house its first wave of residents in June, said Terri Wheeler, executive director of the Housing Authority of the County of Montezuma.
Construction at 121 E. First St. is slated for completion at the end of May – a few months behind the Housing Authority’s original goal of occupancy by fall 2021
“It’s going to be beautiful,” Wheeler said.
Construction was only slightly impacted by the pandemic. The general contractor ordered some materials early on, so there were only a few setbacks, Wheeler said.
“We’ve caught up with ourselves,” she said. “No complaints on our side.”
The Housing Authority is accepting applications at it office at 37 N. Madison St.
The office has received 15 applications, but the waitlist has not officially started, she said.
The total cost of the project has not been finalized, she said.
The project will include 42 units — 12 apartments in the Calkins Building, as well as an office space— and 30 units split among two new buildings.
There will be 20 one-bedroom units and 22 two-bedroom units, according to the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority.
The residences will accommodate households earning 20% to 80% of the area’s median income. After-school tutoring and computer classes will be offered to residents for free, the CHFA reported.
The most recent U.S. Census Bureau data estimates Montezuma County’s median household income is $49,470.
The Calkins Building was used by the Montezuma-Cortez School District Re-1 until 2008. It first opened its doors as a school in 1909.
The building was entered onto the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. Once the new residences are complete, historical photographs and artifacts will be on display, according to History Colorado.
