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http://www.sptimes.com/2006/01/11/Neighborhoodtimes/Repairs_needed_at_poo.shtml
The group that owns and manages the apartment complex for the deaf and hearing impaired is financially troubled.
SEMINOLE - The pool at the Bayou Courtyard Apartments, a community of the deaf and hearing impaired, is closed because of needed repairs.
Its owner is not sure if the estimated $20,000 needed to fix it can be found. The pool is the main recreation for the 70 residents whose apartments in the converted motel are equipped with special devices to assist them in living on their own.
The owner of Bayou Courtyard is the nonprofit Deaf & Hearing Connection for Tampa Bay, which has struggled with finances the past few years. John E. Stross, of the Broderick/Stross Group, is chairman of the agency's board of directors. Stross is a partner in the real estate and building business.
"The financial situation there (Deaf & Hearing Connection) is really tough," Stross said. "We are making progress."
The agency serves the deaf and hearing impaired in Pinellas and Hillsborough. It gives hearing tests, distributes devices to assist the hard-of-hearing, offers counseling, advocates and assists deaf clients in handling government paperwork or trying to get jobs, and manages the apartment complex.
Stoss estimated it will cost $20,000 to bring the pool back into good shape. The money would be spent to recoat the interior of the pool, build a new deck and upgrade equipment. In addition to the $20,000, the agency needs $10,000 annually to maintain the pool, he said.
The agency depends on fundraising, donations, county appropriations, grants and a telecommunications relay service fee on telephone bills for its $900,000 annual budget.
"We grew too large for our shoes," said director Julie Church, explaining how the agency ended up in financial straits. In recent years when funding sources were lost for one reason or another, no downsizing was done. The staff of 40 has dropped to 16, mostly through attrition, she said.
Deaf & Hearing Connection for Tampa Bay also is trying to make the general community more aware of its existence. For more information, call 727-399-9983 for voice or 727-399-9422 for TTY. The agency's Web site is www.dhctb.org
The group that owns and manages the apartment complex for the deaf and hearing impaired is financially troubled.
SEMINOLE - The pool at the Bayou Courtyard Apartments, a community of the deaf and hearing impaired, is closed because of needed repairs.
Its owner is not sure if the estimated $20,000 needed to fix it can be found. The pool is the main recreation for the 70 residents whose apartments in the converted motel are equipped with special devices to assist them in living on their own.
The owner of Bayou Courtyard is the nonprofit Deaf & Hearing Connection for Tampa Bay, which has struggled with finances the past few years. John E. Stross, of the Broderick/Stross Group, is chairman of the agency's board of directors. Stross is a partner in the real estate and building business.
"The financial situation there (Deaf & Hearing Connection) is really tough," Stross said. "We are making progress."
The agency serves the deaf and hearing impaired in Pinellas and Hillsborough. It gives hearing tests, distributes devices to assist the hard-of-hearing, offers counseling, advocates and assists deaf clients in handling government paperwork or trying to get jobs, and manages the apartment complex.
Stoss estimated it will cost $20,000 to bring the pool back into good shape. The money would be spent to recoat the interior of the pool, build a new deck and upgrade equipment. In addition to the $20,000, the agency needs $10,000 annually to maintain the pool, he said.
The agency depends on fundraising, donations, county appropriations, grants and a telecommunications relay service fee on telephone bills for its $900,000 annual budget.
"We grew too large for our shoes," said director Julie Church, explaining how the agency ended up in financial straits. In recent years when funding sources were lost for one reason or another, no downsizing was done. The staff of 40 has dropped to 16, mostly through attrition, she said.
Deaf & Hearing Connection for Tampa Bay also is trying to make the general community more aware of its existence. For more information, call 727-399-9983 for voice or 727-399-9422 for TTY. The agency's Web site is www.dhctb.org
