Moving vans won’t be parked in front of Park Avenue Apartments – the old Marting Hotel – for at least another week.

Monday, February 07, 2000

Moving vans won’t be parked in front of Park Avenue Apartments – the old Marting Hotel – for at least another week. The new 50-unit senior citizen complex will not open until Feb. 15. The building was originally slated for occupancy by Feb. 1, said Arthur Winer, president of Arthur Howard Winer and Associates, a Marietta-based company with 15 years of historical rehabilitation experience.

"There was a slight delay," Winer said. "The carpet was delivered to Columbus instead of Ironton, and it took us a couple of weeks to track it down."

Once the carpet is installed, the appliances will be put in and the apartments will be ready for their new residents, he said.

"It’s coming together," Winer said.

Residents won’t be able to shop on their first floor for several more months, though, Winer added.

"We’ve been concentrating on getting the upper floors ready for occupancy first and we haven’t been stressing finding commercial clients yet," he said. "A couple of people have expressed interest, but no one wants to do a restaurant as of yet. It will be at least six months before we finalize the restaurant portion."

The bottom floor of the hotel will make the perfect setting for a family restaurant and a boutique, Winer added. But the hotel won’t rent to just anyone, he said.

"We’re mindful of the fact that we’ll have a senior population," Winer said. "We’re going to put in the building what would be attractive to my parents and yours. We’re not going to fill space."

The historic seven-floor building also will offer senior services on the second floor. The office spaces will not be ready for occupancy until the middle of March, Winer said.

"While it would be nice to have all those supportive services from the beginning, we’re concentrating on getting the apartments done first," he said.

Some of the expected senior services include a Meals on Wheels kitchen, library, doctor’s examination room and a beautician’s salon.

"I’ve been told by the senior coordinator that they have someone already lined up to come in," Winer said. "The senior ladies won’t have to leave the building to get their hair done."

The apartments themselves are open and airy. Large windows let in a lot of light, which illuminates every room, Winer said.

"You don’t want to have a dark, drab, dingy visual because it’s depressing," Winer said. "A lot of people suffer because they don’t get enough light in the winter. We’re doing everything possible to make that not a problem."

A lot of effort was exerted to make the Park Avenue Apartments senior citizen friendly, he added.

"We also are changing the carpet for each floor," Winer said. "If a senior citizen walks off the elevator on the wrong floor and they are on the green floor, they’ll see they are on the red floor."

To reserve a space in the building, interested senior citizens may call Betty Adams at the Ironton-Lawrence County Community Action Organization offices at 532-3534.

The cost of the apartments will range from the mid-$200s to about $400. Occupancy is income-restricted and potential renters must qualify.

Notification will be given through the media if the building is not ready for occupancy by Feb. 15. It is possible construction could last an additional week, Winer said.

"Right now, the job supervisor is saying it’s doable," he said. "But if we have to hold another week, we’ll hold another week."