Dennis Hull is losing his home of 18 years through no fault of his own.
The sprawling apartment complex was once one of the largest in
Springfield and catered mainly to working-class people like Hull, who is a
cafeteria worker for Springfield Public Schools.
But things began to go downhill several years ago when some
New York investors purchased the property. Tenants say routine maintenance was
ignored and city officials say water and electric bills, which were the
responsibility of the landlord, went unpaid.
“They owe the city more than $100,000 for water for all of
the apartments and electricity for the common areas, such as hallways,” said
Amber Sabin, a spokesperson for City, Water Light and Power.
CWLP has sent notices to the apartment residents that water
and power to the complex will be shut off beginning May 1.
Residents wonder what happened to the money they paid in
rent, which the landlord was supposed to use in part to pay for water service
to their apartments.
“We were asking that from the jump. What are you doing with
the money if you're not paying electric and water and whatnot?,” Hunter Parker,
a local maintenance worker explained, as he prepared to place his baby into a car
seat and leave the apartment complex behind.
Parker said his inquiries went unanswered for months, until finally someone representing the landlord told him, “Yeah, we are shutting down.”
City officials plan to meet with the complex’s residents April 19.
“The city of Springfield will be actively engaged in a
critical meeting scheduled for this Friday to address the concerns and needs of
the affected community. Our primary focus is on ensuring that any resolution we
develop is comprehensive and reflective of the voices and priorities of our
residents,” said Haley Wilson, communications director for the city.
She said the city would not comment further until after the
meeting.
The administration could choose to delay shutting off the
water and power. But city officials say privately that is unlikely, noting that
the bills have gone unpaid for quite some time.
Mayor Misty Buscher, through a spokesperson, declined
to discuss the matter.
The complex has long been a thorn in the side of the city's redevelopment efforts.
In January, the city sought court orders to take possession of eight vacant,
dilapidated buildings within the complex so that they can be demolished. City
officials also sought to have the owner rehabilitate four occupied buildings on
the site.
“It's really ridiculous,” Hull said. “I saw the place going downhill, actually. They started trying to renovate some of the places and what have you. And I was hearing a few little things from the workers about the foundation and things of that nature; they weren't right. They weren't stable. As a matter of fact, if a big truck goes past, it shakes the building.”
About $600,00 is allocated in this year's municipal budget for demolition of the eight already-vacant buildings. According to city spokesperson Wilson, the city secured a demolition order for five of the buildings on March 14, although the court process has continued.
“The lender filed a motion to stay
execution of the demotion order, pending their appeal, and it was granted April
16. However, the court did say we would be allowed to do everything short of
actual demolition of those buildings – we are conducting asbestos testing,
asbestos mitigation/removal and putting it out for bid. We are working on an
order with mutually agreeable language, based upon the judge’s ruling,” Wilson
said in a written statement provided to Illinois Times.
She also said the city is still
seeking court orders for the other vacant buildings.
The
complex is owned by two New York investors who city officials say have told
them they lack the money to make the necessary changes. The current owners
purchased the property at auction in November 2020 and paid $5.25 million for
the 218-unit property, according to Sangamon County tax records.
Scott Reeder, an Illinois Times staff
writer, can be reached at [email protected].
