GARDINER — Connie Reynolds was still getting used to her new apartment last week, unpacking and organizing her things.

Reynolds is one of the first tenants to move into the rebuilt and renovated Highland Terrace, the 28-unit senior apartment complex at 215 Highland Ave. that was heavily damaged in a February 2015 fire. She had moved in four days before, and boxes were still stacked in her second bedroom.

“I needed to move sooner rather than later,” she said. “They have been great to me in every possible way.”

Reynolds, a floral designer for Michael’s, was enjoying the peace and quiet in her unit at the north end of the north wing, but not far away in the south wing, workers were installing fixtures, appliances and finishing touches ahead of a planned open house.

By later this week, the building is expected to be ready to show off at an informal open house from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday.

“Anyone can stop by and take a look,” Ron Lachapelle said. As administrative vice president for building owner C.B. Mattson, Lachapelle has been overseeing the reconstruction and renovation project.

The fire, which broke out near midnight on Feb. 4, sent about 30 residents scrambling for safety on a bitterly cold night through deep snow. No one was seriously injured in the fire, but one resident was taken to MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta for treatment for smoke inhalation.

The tenants lost virtually everything. Fire destroyed the south wing — the wing closest to Highland Avenue — and had started to move into the north wing when it was knocked down. Although much of the north wing was left standing, the water damage was significant. The source of the fire was traced to an undetermined electrical problem in a first-floor apartment at the building’s south end.

The last building C.B. Mattson built was in 1990. The decision to rebuild Highland Terrace came with a significant investment and commitment. Company officials declined to say how much. However, the project included both demolition and reconstruction.

“Since we chose to rebuild.” Lachapelle said, “we chose to stay under the auspices of (USDA) Rural Development. It’s almost like a utility controlled by the federal government, targeted to very low-income people.”

Built in 1986, the original building met fire codes at that time and they did not include sprinklers. The rebuilt facility meets current fire code and has sprinklers throughout.

Highland Terrace was rebuilt on the original building footprint. The only change is a portico over the entrance. It has the same number of units. Four of them are handicapped-accessible, two on each floor. Of the 28 units, 20 are one-bedroom and eight are two-bedroom.

Following the fire, some of the people who lived there were relocated to other C.B. Mattson properties. In all, the company has about 600 units of affordable housing for seniors and families in the state, most within an hour of Gardiner. Some opted to make other living arrangements.

To date, four of the tenants who lived there before the fire plan to return to the building. Two have signed leases, and two are waiting for their apartments to be completed, said Mary Trendler, who works with Lachapelle at C.B. Mattson.

Lachapelle said all of the units are spoken for at this time, but not all of them have leases in place yet. The rents are virtually unchanged. Based on income, monthly rents for a one-bedroom apartment range from $522 to $546 a month and rents for a two-bedroom apartment range from $586 to $612. Tenants pay for their own heat, light and hot water.

The fire at Highland Terrace was just one of three serious fires to break out in Gardiner in 2015. In July, fire heavily damaged buildings on Water Street, leading to the demolition of 235 Water St. in November. At the end of December, an apartment fire displaced 11 tenants.

The Highland Terrace tenants were helped by Gardiner’s Fire Fund, as were subsequent fire victims. Mayor Thom Harnett is a member of the committee that oversees handing out assistance from that fund.

“I’m happy it’s been rebuilt, and I think it looks great on the outside,” he said. He plans to attend the open house.

Jessica Lowell — 621-5632

jlowell@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @JLowellKJ

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