After months of planning, organizing and 20 years worth of saving money and waiting for this one particular moment, the Piedmont Housing Authority finally cut the ribbon on its new office on Craig Avenue in a ceremony last Wednesday.

According to Piedmont Housing Authority Director Keith Word, the organization continually saved money for a 20-year period to cover costs of constructing the 5,700 square foot building less than a mile away from the old office.

The move comes as a relief to PHA employees. During the ceremony, both Word and PHA Board Chairman Walter Prater commented on how small and cramped the old building was.

The new building will be three times larger than the previous 1,800 square foot building they once occupied.

"It's overwhelming," Word said. "I've sat in a little office for 20 years that was about 10 feet by 12 feet. Every time I'd walk down the hallway, I'd bump my left hand into a filing cabinet because the halls were so narrow. It's just such a blessing to have such a dedicated staff."

Also in attendance was Congressman Mike Rogers (R-Saks), who praised the housing authority for building the new office "the responsible way."

"They took their time, saved and did it where it met (the community's) needs," Rogers said. "To pay cash for it speaks volumes about their responsibility and their management. We need a whole lot more of that in other levels of our community and our country."

According to Word, the old office will become a community center for the housing authority while the old Kimberly-Clark building next to the new office will eventually become a Boys and Girls' Club and says he has those projects, along with a few others, in mind before he even begins to contemplate retirement.