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Fitchburg Housing Authority discusses heating repairs, vacancy screening and tenant supports
Summary
Board reviewed maintenance improvements, vendor boiler repairs by Royal Steam that have affected tenants, reinstated swing shift coverage, and noted Housing Now graduations that will produce lease-ups; staff said space heaters are provided during heating outages.
Board members heard updates on maintenance operations, heating and boiler repairs, vacancy screening, and tenant supports during the Feb. 25 meeting.
Executive Director Douglas M. Bushman reported operational improvements including reinstating a swing shift to improve maintenance coverage and vacancy turnover. Staff described improvements to tracking billable work orders and inspections as well as updates to the FHA website for tenant resources.
During approval of January–February FY2026 payables (motion: Commissioner Bogner; second: Commissioner Spellane), commissioners asked about payments to vendor Royal Steam. Maintenance staff said Royal Steam is the Authority’s primary vendor for heating and boiler services under a statewide contract; some repairs can take several days and have caused tenant impacts. Bushman said the authority provides space heaters to residents during periods when heating systems are being repaired. Treasurer David Basilio asked how many boilers still require repair or replacement; staff said a few remain and that many have already been replaced during his tenure.
Deputy Director reported that three new applicant lists—each with about 100 applicants—have been pulled for vacancy screening but progress has been slower than expected because of a CHAMP system change; Vice Chair Thomas Hughes requested monthly updates on vacancies. Policy & Grants Manager Brianna Boulay said several participants in the Housing Now program are expected to graduate, which will result in additional lease-ups; those units will be processed through vacancy reporting and are also subject to the state Emergency Assistance (EA) priority list.
