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The deal was there was no water and they have been complaining to their landlord and nothing has been done. So they called WAFF 48 and they looked into it. THey had the fire marshall etc out there this week to inspect -- and they inspected every unit and found violations in several of no smoke detectors, no running water, wiring that was damaged and not up to code, etc...they haven't made a final determination but it looks like the tenants will have to find a new place to live and that Wildwood Terrace which has always been a bad complex -- will probably be closed.

The thing is, I remember one of the council woman from several years ago -- (the older lady not the young one) that wanted that place closed, but she helped broker a deal where they would paint and make the outside look better and they would let it stay open -- apparently the cosmetics hid the true dangers of living in those places for cheap rent...someone correct me if I'm wrong but I remember something about that...not to mention that place usually attracts the worst of the worst and property and drug crimes in the area have been up etc...
The apartments are located on Graham Avenue. After seeing the update on the news last night, my question is who dropped the ball? These problems did not occur overnight.

If the apartments are as bad as the news report stated, where were the city building officials, health department, electrical inspectors, etc and the endless list of those responsible for overseeing their existance and up keep when the fire marshal went to inspect it?
Um sorry Unclegus -- they are in my district and they are not 100% occupied but do stay 75% occupied. They are not section 8 housing, but they have cheap rent -- somewhere around $300 I think. When I was in college they had lots of college kids, but it's more just low-income families and shady characters now. The good people that do live there, do so because they can't afford anything else. The buses that stop there have 15-20 kids that get on it...

They should have been knocked down several years ago but that particular council woman gave the "new owners" at the time a chance to make them better.
I've been wondering if the "old owner" is just disguised through some corporation.

quote:
Originally posted by DixieChik:
Um sorry Unclegus -- they are in my district and they are not 100% occupied but do stay 75% occupied. They are not section 8 housing, but they have cheap rent -- somewhere around $300 I think. When I was in college they had lots of college kids, but it's more just low-income families and shady characters now. The good people that do live there, do so because they can't afford anything else. The buses that stop there have 15-20 kids that get on it...

They should have been knocked down several years ago but that particular council woman gave the "new owners" at the time a chance to make them better.
I always feel bad for the good people that get caught up in this kind of scenario, having to find affordable housing last minute for their families. One would have to be really down and out to have to live in a place like that, especailly trying to raise children there. I hope the good people can find housing they can afford somewhere else, hopefully somewhere a lot more livable. The nasty drug dealing mean ones can go suck eggs.
I haven't driven by this location in years, but it is close to Florence Arms. I had thought they had the same owners, but apparently not.

I won't mention the name of the Florence Arms owners, but I have heard nothing but good things about them. A friend who used to work for their answering service stated they were always getting compliments for taking care of problems so quickly.
quote:
SaltyDog
Hall of Famer

Posted 23 April 2009 10:02 AM Hide Post
I always feel bad for the good people that get caught up in this kind of scenario, having to find affordable housing last minute for their families. One would have to be really down and out to have to live in a place like that, especailly trying to raise children there. I hope the good people can find housing they can afford somewhere else, hopefully somewhere a lot more livable. The nasty drug dealing mean ones can go suck eggs.

What you said, Kids really can not help it. When I was seven the bank came and put all of our furniture in the snow. (Detroit) If we did not have Grandma and Grandpa, that would have been us. Some people are not blessed with family.

"All we are is a result of what we have thought."

"
quote:
Originally posted by unclegus:
Those apartments has been run down and mostly unoccupied for as long as I can remember.


I have been corrected since I first made this post, but I still have the same opinion. There are other buildings in this same area that are occupied, but the one's I am talking about are mostly empty. I used to have an employee who stayed there rent free so he would help keep them usable.
I remember when I was in the apartment business, 75% occupation was not good.
These apartments were built probably in the 50's. I'm sure they were nice at that time and I remember middle income people lived in them in the 60's but from the 70's on they have been low rent apartments and have not been kept up that well over the years. They have long outlived their design safety and should be condemned and demolished at the value of the lots. Unfortunately we as a society in Alabama don't much care about low income people and where they live so these type places are a harbor for shelter. So we have these type situations and slum lords to deal with or not deal with.
Earlier this week, there was an attempt to rectify the problems with Wildwood Terrace on behalf of the tenants. A meeting was held with the management representative of Wildwood Terrace. The management of the apartments has refused to make the corrections to the property as discovered by the fire marshal during their inspection.

The process to close the apartments has been started and I expect a closure order to be issue within the next week. After all of the tenants have been vacated, I expect a condemnation process to begin.

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