Springdale residents have a litany of concerns, but Waynesboro’s housing authority doesn’t see it that way

WAYNESBORO — Late on a hot sunny Wednesday afternoon, the residents of Springdale Apartments were milling around outside. They followed the shade, finding any escape from the heat they possibly could. After all, the air conditioning in the building had been down since before the Fourth of July weekend, and that wasn’t the first time the air conditioning had gone out this year.

Ann Campbell had to be taken to the hospital for heat exhaustion, and others complained of waking up with headaches and feeling suffocated. For residents requiring oxygen, the colder air from the cylinders made it much more difficult to cope with the hot air when they took their breathing masks off.

One resident, Vicky O’Kelly, had made an impassioned plea to Waynesboro City Council a few nights before, asking for help for the elderly and disabled residents of the building. Waynesboro Redevelopment and Housing Authority (WRHA) had told residents that they were waiting on a part, a compressor, to restore cool air to the building. WRHA delivered fans to every resident in the building who needed them, and provided limited portable air conditioning units for residents who needed them for health concerns.

“I know that’s small consolation, but that’s all we could do Friday evening before we closed the office down,” said WRHA executive director Kim Byrd.

“It’s hell,” said resident Joyce Landram.

The next day, the air conditioning was back on, though resident Linda Dudley told The News Leader it would likely be another couple of days before the air circulated throughout the entire building.

“We’re very confident that those will be up and running and stay, we bought a brand new compressor,” said Byrd.

For many residents, the air conditioning felt like the last straw. Concerns about pests, mold, and mildew, and complaints over the management of the property all came in a steady stream when The News Leader visited the building. And this isn't the first issue that's surfaced at the building, after a gas leak last year triggered a temporary mass-casualty incident, though no one was harmed.

So what’s going on?

What is Springdale Apartments?

Springdale Apartments is a public housing complex for elderly and disabled individuals managed by WRHA. In order to qualify to live in the building, an individual must be at least 62 years of age or have a documented disability, according to Byrd.

The building was built in the 1980s, and began housing people in 1985. Not much of the building has been updated since, so many of the systems, including the air conditioning and heat, are older systems. That includes thermostats containing mercury, which raised a few eyebrows amongst residents gathered in the shade outside.

“They’re out of date, but they’re a sealed unit,” said public housing manager Erin Weisgram. According to Weisgram and Byrd, every unit in the building is up to code, and has passed inspection from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the housing authority.

Byrd said that WRHA is planning on renovating the building in the near future, but there’s no timetable of when that may be. She hoped to begin work this year, but there’s been a struggle to get companies to bid on the project.

“What was acceptable in 1985 may not be acceptable today,” Byrd said, adding, “We’re just wanting to make it more accessible, more convenient. We want people to be able to age in place and not have to move because of, you know, step-tubs or low-profile commodes.”

The building is funded through capital funds grants from HUD, and the hold up on renovations and changes is generally from waiting for requests for proposals to be returned to them.

“HUD has been very good at making sure we have necessary funds to make capital improvements to housing units,” Byrd said.

What issues have residents brought up?

While the heat made some residents, in their words, “grouchy,” they contend that a litany of issues haven’t been adequately addressed by WRHA. Amongst those include a proliferation of pests like bed bugs and cockroaches, which residents say are a near constant. A number of residents recalled seeing the arms and legs of another resident covered in bites they said came from bedbugs. One resident, according to neighbors, had tried sleeping on her bed and sofa before settling on the floor to escape the pests.

Michael Young brought up a proliferation of mold and mildew throughout the building, and he believed WRHA wasn’t doing anything to contain the problem. Young said that he had to obtain a doctor’s note to move out of his unit into a different one as a result of the impact the conditions had on his health. He believes that WRHA didn’t address the issues he pointed out in his apartment, but rather simply painted over them and placed another resident in the unit.

Campbell and Young also felt they had been routinely disrespected by Weisgram, who they felt brushed off their concerns. They questioned the maintenance process, which they felt was too cumbersome and was too expensive for residents.

Campbell said that while she wouldn’t mind moving, she couldn’t afford it. She said that she and many of the other residents were on fixed income checks, and couldn’t afford to move to a different building. Couple that with families that are out-of-state or no longer had room for their elderly members, and there were few options any residents could have.

What does WRHA have to say about all of this?

“The building does not have mold or mildew, period,” said Byrd. Byrd and Weisgram said that they addressed complaints related to pests and mold as soon as they were brought to their attention. When it comes to mold, Byrd said that the few issues they get come from mismanagement of the unit. Things like not turning on the exhaust when cooking or showering could contribute to the problem.

“We have had issues with mold and mildew, but it’s clearly from where they are not properly utilizing the ventilation system we have in place,” Byrd said.

Weisgram believed that residents were bringing up issues that were from a year ago, noting that most of those concerns had been addressed. “As soon as we have this information, we take care of it,” she said. “We’re trying to get them a safe and stable place for them to live.”

When it comes to pests, the building undergoes monthly treatments, and Byrd said residents can contact their office with any additional issues if their unit requires extra treatment.

“Typically if someone has pests, they brought them into the unit,” she said. That wasn’t to lay blame on any of the residents, but things like old boxes and used items could carry pests into the unit, unbeknownst to the resident.

“The last thing we want is any type of out of control pests in any of our apartments,” Byrd said.

Byrd clarified that no one would get in trouble for bringing complaints to the housing authority.

“I guess maybe some people are concerned that they might get in trouble or something like that, and nothing could be further from the truth,” she said.

Byrd rejected the idea that Weisgram or any of her staff had been disrespectful, saying the office is a professional housing authority that treats residents with courtesy and respect.

“If anyone has any issues with any of my staff, they’re welcome to call me,” Byrd said. The focus on respect and fair housing is important to her because “any of us could be in that situation at any time.”

“Typically, what I have found is that those that complain sometimes don’t like some of the rules or regulations, or maybe we’ve had to enforce rules or regulations and they didn’t care for it,” Byrd said.

—Akhil Ganesh is the Government Reporter at The News Leader. You can contact him at aganesh@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @akhildoesthings.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Springdale residents have a litany of concerns, but Waynesboro’s housing authority doesn’t see it that way