By Lyndsie Ferrell
SOUTH FORK— The GardenWalk of South Fork hosted its official open house and ribbon-cutting last Thursday, May 7. The apartments have been the only option for residents seeking low-income housing in the immediate area for many years and were recently remodeled after falling into disrepair over the years.
Thanks to the funding and help through the USDA and efforts of new owners, Belmont Management, the dream of having the entire complex revitalized has now become a reality. According to property manager Brandy Wilson, all of the residents who live in the complex are more than grateful for the changes that have taken place over the last year. “We had several of our residents express their gratitude for the project and being able to call this totally renovated complex home is something they appreciate,” said Wilson.
The event included a ribbon-cutting from the South Fork Chamber of Commerce and a presentation by representatives with the Belmont Management team. “We had representatives from the USDA, who came to see the property first hand and all of the work that has gone into the apartments. We also had two of our county commissioners, Gene Glover and Karla Shriver, in attendance, and that was really great. The town of South Fork and the surrounding community came to show their support and we have to send a thank you out to everyone who attended and helped support us during this project,” stated Wilson.
Over the last year, residents who reside in the apartments have had to endure construction and have had to move from one building to the next while each phase of the project was completed. Now that the project has come to a close, everyone who lives in the GardenWalk apartments can begin to enjoy the living in a brand new facility.
“We have completed all of our community facilities, the playground and landscaping at this point. We are officially and completely renovated. We have some apartments open for rent and we are processing applications as we speak. This was a long process, but it has been worth every step of the way,” said Wilson.
Each of the one, two and three-bedroom units received wood flooring, ceiling fans, forced central heat, new fixtures throughout the units and new appliances in the kitchens and bathrooms. Then the project moved outdoors, where siding and outdoor fixtures were replaced.
The back parking lot has been completely repaved and the sidewalks around the back units are brand new. In addition to the remodel and paving projects, the funding also paid for new landscaping around the entire facility and a new community building that houses a small library, public computer room and family event space.
“We are really pleased with how everything turned out and would like to thank the USDA, Town of South Fork and the residents, as well as Belmont Management. We just cannot say thank you enough for the hard work all of these people put in to this project and seeing it through to the end.”