Maya Horton’s favorite thing about her home in Wesley Family Service’s Pioneer Apartments is peace.
“It’s very peaceful. I have my peace,” she said. “That’s what I like about living here in this building. I go home to a peaceful environment, and I feel safe in my home.”
Horton was the third person to sign a lease to live in Pioneer Apartments in downtown New Kensington when it opened in November 2020. She saw its construction start when she would drive past the Fourth Avenue site from her previous home in Arnold to go to the former Shop ’n Save in New Kensington.
The background check was thorough, she said, but, “It was worth it.”
Between 80 and 100 people live in Pioneer’s 36 apartments, which include one-, two- and three-bedroom units. While there is turnover, the building is typically full, with a waiting list at times, Wesley Family Services CEO Doug Muetzel said.
The uniqueness of the facility now extends to its roof, where a solar energy system has been installed to provide power to the common areas of the building’s residential side.
The 104.5 kilowatt solar energy system, installed by local developer EIS Solar, is expected to produce about 110,800 kilowatt hours and reduce the facility’s utility bill by 78%. EIS estimates the system will save Wesley Family Services about $700,000 over 25 years, or $28,000 per year over that time.