The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-03-11
Conversion Plan Gains
 In New England States
Slow Start Attributed to Lack of Information Given
 PubIc Instances of Plan in Effect Cited

property s loceted. War Housing CenterS have been established in Portland, Maine; Springfield, Massa- chusettS; and Bridgeport, Hartford, Meriden, New Britain, Waterbury, Wiiiimantlc, and Bristol, Connecti- cut, for tho convenience of the pub- lie, where applications and advice may be readily secured.
 Properties for conversion are only acceptable in the areas where 0 War Housing Center is located. The fol. lowing details explain more fully tho operation of the conversion pro. gram.
 The government leases the prop erty for seven years or until two years after the end of the emergency
 whichever D tho longer. They pay tho rent, and In addition, take over any mortgage or tax payments for tho fife of tho lease. The govern. ment Wil ipay for converting the home or building into additional liv. ng quarters, supervise tho conver' sion job, and rent the resulting units to war workers and their fafl- Hes. It will take over the manage ment of the property and pay for It's maintenance,
 If the emergency should end be- fore tho termination of tho lease, which runs for seven years or until two years after the end Of the emer- gency - whichever ig longer --- the lease may be terminated by the gov- ernment on 30 days notice; but in this case, conversion costs not yet recovered will Do absorbed by the government. This would Do distinctly advantageous for the property own. CTS, since he would benefit from the improvements made on it and still would not owe c debt to the govern ment. If, on the other hand, the lease should run for more than [ years, 1t would pay the owner of the property the amount of money it had been using for amortization purposes in addition to the rental he had been receiving. If the efner. gency should end before the govern inent completes q conversion, the government would finish the conver- sion or restore the property to It's former condition.
 All plans for alterations, remod- cling, and the. conversion of the property are submitted to the own or for his approval before the lease is signed. It'iS possible for the owner to rent one of the converted units SO that he may remain in the house during the period 1t is leased to the government. A converted living unit may not cost in excess of e2600. Within this 92600 must come any obligations assumed by the govern. ment ct the time of lease signing, such aS back debts and taxes. aS well as the remodeling costs. If . property owner feels that he would like to make alterations the govern. tnent considers unnecessary, he may contribute his own funds for this purpose if his plans do not require the use Of too much critical material. The government is anxious to utilize every existing property; 1t is anxious to effect the conversion of as many properties as possible. If the prop erty owner can finance his own con- version project or can get assistance from private financing institutions, he will Dc contributing substantially to the war program. Local archi- tects. contractors, building material dealers and financing institutions can plan and assist in this work. h