At about the same time the Raymondville Senior Citizens Housing Center came into being in 1985, a loan was taken out to fund the facility’s creation.
This month, that loan reached the point of paid in full – 18 ½ years early.
Tilitha Waicekauskas has been manager of the center since 1995, and traveled to Springfield April 7 and made the final payment. She said the early pay-off was made possible by effective money management and saving.
“This means a lot,” Waicekauskas said. “It’s amazing.”
The center includes 11 rental units and currently houses 10 tenants. Waicekauskas said the facility’s tenant policy was recently changed to exclusively include renters ages 50-and-over.
Waicekauskas figures the reduced pressure on her to fill out myriad government paperwork might allow her to continue managing for a while.
“This is such a relief and a huge load off my back,” she said. “I might be able to stay a little longer now that the workload is going to be so much less.”
A celebration of the center being debt free took place during the facility’s annual meeting last Friday night. Waciekauskas said the future is bright for the facility, and eliminating the loan means it can operate with increased independence.
“Our articles of incorporation say we will run this as senior housing perpetually,” she said. “We intend to keep on like we were, only it will be a lot easier because we can make our own rules.”
Also at the annual meeting, Beverly Driesel was inducted into the Raymondville Senior Citizens Housing Center Hall of Fame (for people who have over the years been particularly important to the facility). She is the third person to receive the recognition.