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Saturday, August 9, 2014
ENP STAFF REPORTS
news@eastniagarapost.com
More than a week after being displaced from their homes, residents from an apartment building on Robinson Road still don't understand why they were forced from their homes or why they can't go back in now.
About a dozen residents of 6315 Robinson Road attended the Lockport Town Board meeting Wednesday night to demand answers, but following the meeting they still had more questions than answers.
The building was condemned on July 30 after Town Building Inspector Brian Belson found what he said were "numerous" violations of the building code. Residents were given only a few minutes to gather their belongings and get out.
"They didn't give us any warning," according to Dana Mahnke. "They just said '15 minutes. Out.' "
For Mahnke it was more than an inconvenience. The health concerns the town building inspector said he was saving her from created immediate health problems for her. Being forced out of house and home gave her an anxiety attack. "They ended up putting me in an ambulance to calm me down."
Many of the residents at Wednesday's meeting said they were told they'd be back in in a few days and that the Red Cross would put them up in the meantime. However, they were told by the Red Cross that there was no money to put them up so the building owner put them all up for one night. After that, they were on their own to find a place to stay.
Some said they're staying with friends, some with family, and at least one says he's staying in his car. They'd all rather be back in their homes.
Problems persist for Mahnke. She was able to get some of her belongings on Saturday but was unable to retrieve her moped. But at least it was still there. Then Monday, it wasn't.
"I called my son and he went up there and checked and sure enough, it is gone," she said. "I can't believe someone would be cold enough to steal it. That was my means of getting around."
It gets worse: "Unfortunately, my insurance didn't cover theft."
So now she's without a place of her own or a means of transportation.
"It's just too much," she said. "I'm tired, exhausted. Frustrated. I could go on."
Repeated calls to Belson's office for comment have not been returned. Town officials have said, however, that once everything is fixed, tenants will be allowed to move back in. When that will be, no one can say for sure.
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news@eastniagarapost.com
More than a week after being displaced from their homes, residents from an apartment building on Robinson Road still don't understand why they were forced from their homes or why they can't go back in now.
About a dozen residents of 6315 Robinson Road attended the Lockport Town Board meeting Wednesday night to demand answers, but following the meeting they still had more questions than answers.
The building was condemned on July 30 after Town Building Inspector Brian Belson found what he said were "numerous" violations of the building code. Residents were given only a few minutes to gather their belongings and get out.
"They didn't give us any warning," according to Dana Mahnke. "They just said '15 minutes. Out.' "
For Mahnke it was more than an inconvenience. The health concerns the town building inspector said he was saving her from created immediate health problems for her. Being forced out of house and home gave her an anxiety attack. "They ended up putting me in an ambulance to calm me down."
Many of the residents at Wednesday's meeting said they were told they'd be back in in a few days and that the Red Cross would put them up in the meantime. However, they were told by the Red Cross that there was no money to put them up so the building owner put them all up for one night. After that, they were on their own to find a place to stay.
Some said they're staying with friends, some with family, and at least one says he's staying in his car. They'd all rather be back in their homes.
Problems persist for Mahnke. She was able to get some of her belongings on Saturday but was unable to retrieve her moped. But at least it was still there. Then Monday, it wasn't.
"I called my son and he went up there and checked and sure enough, it is gone," she said. "I can't believe someone would be cold enough to steal it. That was my means of getting around."
It gets worse: "Unfortunately, my insurance didn't cover theft."
So now she's without a place of her own or a means of transportation.
"It's just too much," she said. "I'm tired, exhausted. Frustrated. I could go on."
Repeated calls to Belson's office for comment have not been returned. Town officials have said, however, that once everything is fixed, tenants will be allowed to move back in. When that will be, no one can say for sure.
Send an email to news@eastniagarapost.com with "email update" in the subject line.
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