Folks living in building 951 of the Chattanooga Housing Authority’s Boynton Terrace apartments are looking forward to moving day.
Sometime next month, 75 or so individuals or couples will start packing up their stuff and leaving behind dim lighting, stained floors and ceilings, leaking windows and shabby kitchens in their high-rise building off west M.L. King Boulevard.
They’ll be moving only a few yards, into building 953, newly renovated with a fresher look – brighter lighting, new paint and flooring – and new energy-saving and safety features, including a buildingwide sprinkler system and new ventilation.
And they’ll have their own door keys.
“That’s the best thing about the whole thing,” said Joe Clark, a member and former chairman of the Boynton Terrace residents council. Residents hate their current building’s automatic locks, where one unthinking moment can leave them locked out of their apartments and perhaps facing a $33 fee to get back inside.