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Our Stories

Resident Profile: Gerald Haskin

Monday, July 5th, 2010

TOWN OF ULSTER, NY, July 1, 2010– When you ask Gerald Haskin about his life, you’ll get a lot of information in return: he’s worked plenty of jobs since growing up in Mayville, NY, including working for the Grange League Federation (or GLF, which later became Agway), selling cars, delivering mail, selling life insurance, and even firing the boiler of a milk factory. He’s fathered five children with his wife of 64 years, with whom he shares an apartment in The Birches at Chambers. And there’s the Purple Heart he earned while serving in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

Of course, while he tells you all of this, Gerald says, with general understatement, that it’s a “pretty uneventful life.”

These days, Gerald takes things a bit slower. A few years ago he underwent an operation to remove calcium deposits in his lower vertebrae, a problem that was keeping him from getting around on his feet too well. While he’s still not as quick as he used to be, Gerald is finding his apartment’s close proximity to the building’s amenities quite convenient. “We ended up on the second floor,” he says. “With the laundry room, the elevator, and the trash room all close by.”

Gerald and his wife moved to the Hudson Valley area about five years ago to be closer to their daughter, son, and grandson, all of whom live in the area. Prior to moving into The Birches at Chambers, the couple lived in a senior housing development in Kingston. While it was a nice place to live, Gerald says that the building’s age drove the utility costs way too high.

“It was about 40 to 50 years old,” he says of his old home. “And it had those old metal windows. And 40 or 50 years ago, they were probably a great thing. Back then nobody worried about what was going to happen to them 30 or 40 years later, with keeping them up. So when the wind blew outside, you felt it. The air conditioning system was that old and the heat was the old electric baseboard on the floor. We ended up with an electric bill of $250 a month.”

But now he’s living in a new apartment—and it’s brand new, which is one of the best things about living at The Birches.

“My son, he said, ‘oh, you’ll like it,’” recalls Gerald of hearing about The Birches at Chambers. “‘You’ve got about just as much room as you had in the other place, and it’s all new, so you can’t lose. And you won’t have a $250 electric bill!’ he adds with a laugh. The Birches at Chambers average electric bills are closer to a tenth of what Gerald used to spend – and the heat’s included in the rent.

Brian Rubin for Birchez Associates, birchezassociates@gmail.com

Resident Profile: Alice Goldstein

Saturday, July 3rd, 2010

TOWN OF ULSTER, NY – The last few years have been tough for Alice Goldstein. In 2003, her husband Paul lead them to move from Wisconsin to Stony Brook, Long Island, for a work opportunity. But the Glenford, NY, native was less than pleased with her new home.

“I could not get used to the congestion and the traffic,” says Alice of Long Island’s infamous highways. “So we moved upstate, to Salt Point, across the river in Dutchess County. Unfortunately, Paul took ill and died in 2007, leaving Alice—who had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis—reeling. She was able to stay with two of her six children, bouncing from place to place, unable to get sure footing, until she finally moved into her new apartment at The Birches at Chambers in May.

“I did what I had to do, and I survived. It’s been a rough road for me since my husband passed away. But now, my life has kind of straightened out,” says Alice.

Since moving to The Birches, a sense of stability and independence has returned to Alice’s life.

“I have multiple sclerosis, and it’s getting pretty hard to do things that I normally would’ve done. I’m losing the ability of my hands already,” she says. “I get around in here. There are no steps. If I want to go upstairs, the elevator is there. Walking is good for me but I’m not good at walking in busy areas because I have trouble hearing due to the MS. So it’s good for me to be able to walk around here safely and not on the streets.

“In other words,” she says, summing it up, “my children are not worried about me.”

The fact that her apartment—like every apartment in The Birches at Chambers—is handicapped-ready helps give Alice peace of mind for the future.

“If I do end up in a wheelchair, the kitchen counter can be pushed back (to provide full handicapped accessibility), so that’s great. I don’t have to move, and that was one of my concerns, as a person who’s facing the possibility of being in a wheelchair. It gave me great comfort to know that I don’t have to move out of this apartment.”

These days, Alice doesn’t drive quite as much as she used to. That’s why she’s looking forward to relying on both the UCAT bus and Citibus out of neighboring Kingston, both of which make regular rounds through The Birches at Chambers direct to local shopping areas and key connecting points.

“I’ve never used any public transportation or anything like that, so a couple of the people that do use it here, they’re going to take me to get used to it,” she says.

After spending a few years with uncertainty every day, Alice says she now feels relief whenever she walks through the main foyer into the building. “I walk in the door, and it’s home for me,” she says. “That’s how I’ve come to feel now—every time I open that door, and I walk in, I’m home.”

Resident Profile: Delores Kurtz

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

TOWN OF ULSTER, NY – When you’re faced with the prospect of leaving a house you’ve lived in for 50 years, your emotions can run pretty high. Such was the case with Delores Kurtz, a former resident of Barclay Heights in Saugerties.

“Every time we talked about my leaving the house, there were tears,” says Delores regarding conversations with her three grown children, Cindy, Eric, and Denise.

But since she moved into her new apartment in The Birches at Chambers at the end of April, everyone seems a lot happier.

“My son visited me yesterday,” she says. “He came in and he says, ‘you know mom, I was a little leery about this move. But you know what? It was the best thing you could have ever done.’ And I was really happy to hear that.”

While it’s hard to give up a place that’s been the home of your family for five decades, it was getting too hard for Delores to stay there. She had lost her husband 12 years ago, and over the years it was tougher and tougher for her to stay in her house. Eventually, a move wasn’t just a good idea: it was doctor’s orders.

“The doctor said—I had several falls, and I had a split level—so he said no more steps,” recounts Delores. She and her daughter visited The Birches at Saugerties to fill out an application. She got on the waitlist and, in December of 2009, she got the call that an apartment was available in The Birches at Chambers.

“Thank heavens, lo and behold, I was in the right place at the right time,” laughs Delores about getting the call.

“I thought it was going to be a hard transition,” she continues, recalling her move to the apartment, “but you know it wasn’t. And I couldn’t believe it, because the first night here I slept like a log, and I’ve slept every night here like a log. I feel very secure.

“Who couldn’t love this? I feel as though I’m living in a resort, that I really and truly do. I keep thinking, when do I have to go home, not realizing—hey , this is my home! It’s beautiful. It’s everything that you could possibly want.”

Brian Rubin for Birchez Associates, birchezassociates@gmail.com

Resident Profile: Margrit Salimone

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

TOWN OF ULSTER, NY – Originally from Germany, Margrit Salimone immigrated to this country in 1958, settling in New Jersey. In 1964, she made her way to Kingston and opened up a restaurant on Smith Avenue, which she kept for three years. Daytona Beach, Florida was her next destination, where she stayed for 23 years. She came back to the Hudson Valley to be closer to her daughter, and lived in a senior community in Rosendale until she moved to Chambers Court in 2005.

Once there, she decided that her new apartment is where she would stay, as she put it “Until I kick the bucket” —a strong statement made at the ribbon cutting of Chambers Court.

However, a car crash two years ago made things more difficult than she’d bargained for, giving her hip problems and difficulty walking. Fortunately, she was able to secure a new apartment in The Birches at Chambers this year, where she has the amenities needed to keep her mobile.

“I have the shower that I can walk in there,” she says, pointing to her handicapped-accessible roll-in shower, “which I could not do in the other place—there I had the bathtub.”

In fact, her good feelings towards The Birches at Chambers have her making comparisons to her former two-decade home in the Sunshine State. “This reminds me so much of Florida, my condominium, the entrance, everything,” she says with a laugh, adding, “except the ocean is missing.”

Two things stand out in Margrit’s mind as to what makes the community so successful: the beautiful décor and design, and the people who make everything work.

“The whole set up, it’s just fantastic,” she gushes. “It’s wonderful, elegant living. The people here are very nice, I have very nice neighbors, very nice.” As she approaches the door to her apartment, she says hello to the woman who lives across the hall, saying, “This is my lovely neighbor—she’s a dolly.”

Margrit reserves her fondest praise, however, for Steve Aaron himself, the managing member and founder of Birchez Associates who has orchestrated all five of the company’s Hudson Valley communities.

“Mr. Aaron is very good to me, I tell you,” says Margrit. “He’s caring, delightful—you have a problem, you talk to him, it’s done. That man deserves the best because he puts his soul and his heart in here. Blood, sweat, and tears.”

Brian Rubin for Birchez Associates, birchezassociates@gmail.com

Kids plant the seeds

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

June 7, 2010, Ulster, NY: Nearly twenty students from the Nature Club at Chambers Elementary School in the Town of Ulster met with their new neighbors today, in what organizers hope will be the first of many encounters! The students, with brown bag lunches in tow, walked over to recently opened senior community that adjoins their school campus. The Birches at Chambers is home to some 100 seniors, many of whom requested apartments on the rear of the building so they could enjoy watching the activities at Chambers School.

Once the students arrived, their grown-up spokesperson and mentor, School Librarian Charlotte Adamis, told the waiting seniors about the accomplishments of the Nature Club. So far the students have planted a medicine garden, a pizza garden and a salad garden, and Birchez Associates had helped out with a butterfly garden.

Director of Marketing for Birchez Associates K.J. McIntyre spoke to the students about the history of Maple Lane and how developer Steve Aaron had managed to preserve many of the over one hundred year old trees that line Maple Lane today — after construction. She also spoke to the students about the landscaping and how it fits into the green building practices the company follows. The plants are local specimens and low irrigation to comply with LEED (Leader in Energy & Environmental Design) standards.

As residents and students shared a variety of desserts, in a turn around move, the students read to the seniors from books theybrought on gardening and neighborhoods. At least one student chronicled the event with his camera. Some seniors were talking about a victory garden and how to involve the students in the planning process. As a parting gift, the students invited their new neighbors to come to Family Day at the Garden on June 16th from 4pm to 6pm.

The Birches at Chambers Welcomes Its First Resident

Saturday, April 3rd, 2010

Ulster, NY: Cindy Grill had been living in Birchez Associates’ first affordable senior community, Chambers Court, built just six years ago. But since her stroke, she’s been unable to do many of the things we take for granted, as her apartment was not handicapped accessible. Cindy had applied for the company’s latest senior community, The Birches at Chambers, which was being built just across the street from her current home. This new community would offer sixty-six apartments including ADA compliant, handicapped accessible units. All apartments are handicapped adaptable, with features such as roll-in showers, adjustable shower heads, and emergency pull cords in all bedrooms and baths already in place.

Delays forced by the town meant Cindy could only peek through the windows to see her finished first-floor apartment over the last two months. On Thursday, The Birches at Chambers finally received the necessary paperwork so that they could open the first twenty-seven apartments. Cindy’s aides and friends had had her packed for weeks. But how fast could she find movers?

Vinnie Organtini lives only a couple of blocks away from the new Birches at Chambers. His company, Ulster Excavating, was a subcontractor during construction so he had seen Cindy in her frequent wheelchair trips to the site to watch her new home being built. He had observed her heartbreak when the town created delay after delay and move in dates had to be postponed time and time again. So when Vinnie heard that Cindy had the go ahead to move he knew what he wanted to do.

Within a couple of hours he had mobilized his entire crew which expanded with friends all on a mission: to get Cindy moved in without any further delay. Pickups and panel trucks were enlisted. A few private cars joined the caravan. Cindy led the way in her wheelchair.

And by 5pm Friday afternoon, although she and her aide still had some boxes surrounding them, Cindy’s cable was on, her living room was set up, her special bed ready for linens and, most important, she could take her first shower in a long time.

Now her new kitchen has enough space that Cindy can do “wheelies”. She can pull her wheelchair under the sink in both the kitchen and bath. And she also anticipates taking the elevator to the new fitness studio on the lower level where a trainer, at no cost to the residents, can help her with basic exercises and perhaps build up her strength. Since this is one gregarious lady, it would come as no surprise to find Cindy holding court in the community room or reigning over one of the property’s new gazebos.

Cindy might have trouble with words since her stroke, but at the end of the day her thumbs up and beaming face were thanks enough for Vinnie Organtini and his crew!

Birchez Associates LLC, founded in 2002, has developed and continues to manage four affordable housing communities for seniors and one community for work force housing in Ulster County, NY. More information on the Birches at Chambers and other Birchez Associates’ communities is available at www.Birchez.com.

For Immediate Release

April 3, 2010

Contact: K.J. McIntyre

845-532-7528