Owners of collapsed building face new problems
Landon Fries carries a box out of an apartment building at 350 Duncan Ave. in Washington. The apartment building was deemed unfit for human inhabitation Wednesday.
Jody Slider, left, was among tenants getting help Wednesday from the American Red Cross after an apartment building at 350 Duncan Ave. in Washington was declared unfit for human inhabitation.
Residents of 350 Duncan Ave. were forced to move out Wednesday morning after Washington code-enforcement officials deemed the residence unfit for human inhabitation.
One week after the collapse of a downtown Washington apartment building, the owners of the structure are facing a predicament for another property they own.
Washington’s building code official deemed the apartment complex at 350 Duncan Ave., owned by Mark and Melissa Russo, unfit for human habitation Wednesday morning, forcing an estimated nine to 13 residents to find another place to live.
The Russos own 15 N. Main St., which partially collapsed last week, leaving a woman trapped for more than nine hours.
“It’s a terrible thing, you know? We didn’t want to displace anybody from their home, but by the same token, we could not allow them to live in these dangerous conditions,” said city Councilman Joe Manning, who said someone called officials to alert them to the situation at 350 Duncan.
The list of issues in the Duncan apartment building, posted on the three-story structure’s front door, includes inoperable hot water and heat, mold, holes in the walls, toilet malfunction, falling ceiling tiles, wall plaster failure, missing stairwell spindles and multiple electrical issues.
“We didn’t know when we first moved in, but within a month of living here, the electric in my bathroom and kitchen went out. So we’ve been running an extension cord,” said Devyn Fries, 26. “Then we noticed when it rains, our hot water tank goes out and you can’t take a shower. The ceiling leaks. And apparently, there’s black mold growing in the ceiling where I sleep.”
Fries, who is seven months pregnant, said she notified Mark Russo about the problems.
“He knew the electric was out. He told us to get an electrician, which we did,” she said. “Something was wrong with the wires in the wall, so all we could do was pull the breakers to make sure there wasn’t electric in there. (The electrician) said one gust of wind could touch anything and the whole house could go up.”
Because of the conditions, Fries was planning to move out with her 8-year-old son, Landon, Aug. 1. They’re renting a three-bedroom home in West Virginia.
“Me, having a baby, I didn’t want to raise a child here,” Fries said. “Luckily, the new landlord said to just move in now. It’s very unfortunate, but we’ll handle it.”
Other residents said they weren’t sure where they would go.
“Our home is being condemned, and we’ve got to get out now,” said Jody Slider.
Slider lived with her son, nephew and two grandchildren in an apartment she said had no working toilet or shower. She said she notified Russo, but the issues weren’t addressed.
“I knew this was going to happen sooner or later,” Slider said. “We don’t know what we’re going to do.”
Residents lugged clothing, toys and furniture in 80-degree-plus temperatures as a Red Cross official met with those in need of shelter individually. The Salvation Army, Area Agency on Aging and Fair Housing Law Center also were providing assistance.
“We have to do what we have to do to make the property safe,” said city code enforcement officer Ron McIntyre. “It’s frustrating for everyone. There’s a woman who is pregnant, there are children here and pets. It’s unfortunate.”
McIntyre said the Russos have been cited in the past for violations at 350 Duncan, including sanitation.
“I’ve talked to (Mark Russo) on the phone and sent him notices. Unfortunately, that’s not worked,” he said. “So we’ve got to get everybody out and try to make it as safe as we can to get everybody back in.”
Harshman CE Group’s Jarrod D’Amico, Washington’s building code official, said the Russos will have 30 days to make improvements.
“Assuming (Mark Russo) doesn’t fix it, we’ll file with the magistrate in 30 days and we’ll go from there,” he said.
If the issues aren’t resolved, the Russos can be fined for each violation. Residents won’t be able to move back in until city officials inspect and deem the building safe.
In order for a condemnation of the property, D’Amico said a engineer would have to rule the building structurally insufficient.
A message left for Mark Russo was not returned.