Skyview Apartments, city of Pueblo suspect weather caused breakdowns that led to evictions

Skyview Apartments management and some city of Pueblo staff suspect inclement weather contributed to the recent “catastrophic breakdown” of heating and sewage systems in one of Skyview’s buildings, causing more than 80 residents to be displaced.

Skyview management deemed that building, located at 2033 Jerry Murphy Road, “uninhabitable” following the breakdown, according to a damage assessment report conducted by members of city staff.

Skyview Apartments is a two-building complex. The other building, where the management office is located, was unaffected.

According to the report, city staff suspects the damage occurred after pipes in the mechanical room froze and burst after combustion fuel appliances “malfunctioned and stuck open” during a period of inclement weather. Rushing water from the pipes then extinguished flames within the boiler, which served the entire building.

Brooke Vigil, property manager at Skyview Apartments for the past two years, told the Chieftain she was unsure about the condition of those appliances and said she agrees with the city’s report that inclement weather might have caused the breakdown.

“No one had the foresight to say, ‘Boy, if that pipe freezes, it’s going to extinguish the boiler, freeze and crack it, and then continue to run and flood hundreds of hundreds of gallons of water under the building,’” said Bryan Gallagher, who investigated the incident as the city's director of housing and citizen services. “You’re not expected to think that far ahead, but you would never think you would have a one-two punch where a pipe would have that type of chain reaction.”

Vigil said she was not aware if there were any issues with the pipes prior to the incident and that no issues were reported to her.

City staff also reported that they suspect water within the boiler then froze after those flames were extinguished, thus damaging the unit “beyond repair,” and that the running water from the burst pipes overwhelmed the building’s drain lines that then plugged and allowed sewage to “back up in the building.”

Vigil said vendors were brought in frequently to address particular issues and that sewage lines at the complex are jetted once a year.

At least 3 feet of sewage “accumulated in the mechanical room,” which then “dispersed into the laundry area and adjacent units on the lower level,” according to the report.

Vigil said management became aware around Feb. 1 that “water was backing up in the boiler room,” so they called Roto-Rooter and Flow Right Plumbing to get the sewer lines cleared using a drain snake.

On Feb. 2, Flow Right reported to management that there were “a couple breaks'' in the sewage line, Vigil said, and that repairs could take up to three months. She said Flow Right also reported it couldn’t immediately repair the boiler and suggested that management evacuate people from the building.

Vigil said management then called its attorneys, who advised them to serve tenants with three-day eviction notices and break leases.

“It wasn’t a violation on their end of the release,” Vigil said. “It was a violation on our end since we could no longer provide heat and water. That’s why the lease was broken.”

At least 85 Skyview Apartment tenants on Feb. 2 were given an eviction notice telling them they had to vacate their apartment units within three days because of the damage to the building, which made it “uninhabitable” due to “lack of heat and water.”

Vigil said displaced tenants who'd paid their February rent were refunded and offered their security deposits.

The timeline to complete repairs remains three months, Vigil said.

Renter’s insurance is required for Skyview residents 

An application to apply for an apartment unit at Skyview shows that prospective renters are required to secure renter’s insurance, with at least $300,000 covered in personal liability, to be approved to live there. Vigil said Skyview has that policy because “most apartment complexes” require renter’s insurance in case of emergency.

Elizabeth Ann Fritch, who had been living on the third floor of the building for three years before the incident, said she has renter’s insurance through eRenterPlan but was later told her policy doesn’t cover sewage or water damage.

Fritch said she felt lucky to have a friend who brought her and her boyfriend in after they had to leave Skyview.

“It’s been a struggle, honestly,” Fritch said. “We’re really thankful to the person letting us stay with them. I personally don’t have family in town, and it’s just friends. That’s hard.”

Vigil alluded to the possibility that some displaced tenants might have lost their rental insurance if they let it lapse or stopped paying for it and said renters who continued to pay for it could have some financial costs covered.

Pueblo City Council last week allocated $50,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to Posada of Pueblo after the latter reported that as of Feb. 8, 24 families that formerly resided at Skyview Apartments had reached out for assistance.

Gallagher said during a council meeting last week that the funds could help pay for some tenants' rental insurance deductibles.

Chieftain reporter Josue Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @josuepwrites.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Skyview Apartments, city suspect cold weather caused system breakdowns