Stoughton seniors displaced by July fire won’t return until winter

STOUGHTON -- Dozens of elderly residents displaced after a lightning strike torched a senior housing complex last month will be out of their homes much longer than anticipated.

After a fire began in the cupola of the Rose Forte senior housing development on July 17, town officials initially hoped that the building below received minimal damage.

But the 67-resident facility was left "completely uninhabitable," according to Colleen Doherty, executive director of the Stoughton and Taunton housing authorities.

In a letter to the Stoughton Chamber of Commerce, Doherty wrote that 35 residents have been placed into temporary housing in local hotels and 32 are living with family and friends, some outside the Stoughton area.

"Our concern," Doherty wrote, "is that most of these low-income senior and disabled residents have lost everything and now must rebuild their lives from almost nothing."

Doherty said it will be at least five months until anyone moves back into the Stoughton Housing Authority development. Others whose units were damaged more severely could wait up to a year.

Because the development is owned by a public authority, Selectman Bob O'Regan said repairs might take longer than they would in a private apartment building, where an owner might begin repairs immediately.

"For public projects, there are phases of design, bidding and construction, all designed to make sure things are done right and honestly," O'Regan said.

Town Manager Robin Muksian-Grimm said the bulk of the building's damage came not from the fire, but from the water used to extinguish it.

Constructed decades ago as a shoe factory, the building was so old it did not have a sprinkler system, according to Muksian-Grimm. Water blasted in using fire hoses leaked from the cupola into the drop ceilings below, where it spread across the building, damaging rooms that were untouched by the flames.

The building's electrical system now needs an overhaul, said Muksian-Grimm, and asbestos exposed by the damage will require remediation.

Muksian-Grimm said the town will not disperse local funds for the repair because the Stoughton Housing Authority has property insurance and is funded primarily through state and federal sources.

Stoughton will contribute in other ways to the recovery. The town will offer temporary office space in the former Randolph Savings Bank to the Stoughton Housing Authority, whose headquarters were damaged in the fire.

Two local hotels have agreed to house tenants who had no place to stay after the blaze, offering free food the day of the fire, in addition to discount rates and a temporary waiver on their no pets policy.

The Stoughton Council on Aging is coordinating an effort to collect donations of basic furniture -- such as beds, lamps, tables and chairs -- for residents placed into temporary housing. Donors can make out checks to "Stoughton Council on Aging," and on the memo line write, "4 Capen Street Disaster Relief." Store gift cards and prepaid cards also will be accepted.

The Board of Selectmen also plans to establish a "gift account" so residents can provide financial aid to the displaced seniors. O'Regan said he and his colleagues will vote on the matter Tuesday.

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