Fort Kent rebuilding apartments lost in '08 flood

FORT KENT - In April of 2008, senior citizens living in sixteen apartments on

CONSTRUCTION FOR SENIORS - A front end loader stands ready to help in the reconstruction of apartments for senior citizens.  The flood destroyed the old apartments.

Dufour Street had to scramble from their homes as rising floodwaters threatened to destroy everything.  Though all 18 of the tenants escaped the disaster, the relentless floodwaters rose so quickly that most of their possessions were lost.

Property Manager Michael Albert of St. John Valley Realty, "They didn't get much before the water got to their homes.  Most of the tenants lost everything."

The waters ruined the apartments and the disaster forced the town to demolish the homes.

Two years later, working for the Fort Kent Housing Board, St. John Valley Realty is coordinating the replacement of those apartments.

Carpenters and construction workers are building 16 new units in an area south

WORKING PAST THE FLOOD - The new apartments are going to be south of Crosswind Residential Care on Village Road. Many of the original tenants will begin living in the completed apartments in 2011.

of Crosswinds Residential Care on Village Road.  The new location is on much higher ground and floods from the St. John River will not threaten future residents.

Albert said workers will complete the facility in 2011.

Most of the former residents will find a new home in the $3million facility.  Albert said that after the flood, some residents moved in with relatives, some in family housing, and some had to leave town because no housing was available.

He said, "We now have our elderly tenants spread out all over the place."  He said that one resident moved away and another passed away, but that the majority of the original tenants are coming back.

He said, "They are at the top of the list."

It's a long list, too.  Albert said there are over 80 applicants seeking affordable housing for senior citizens in the area.

He said, "We definitely have a need for it."

Albert added, "This actually isn't even making a dent into what we need in the community, it's just replacing what was lost."