City Of Thornton Steps In To Help 'Renaissance 88' Residents After Complex Fails To Provide Heat, Hot Water
THORNTON, Colo. (CBS4) — The City of Thornton says an apartment complex is "on the edge of serious trouble" after failing to provide residents with heat and hot water. City officials were made aware of the problem after a CBS4 report Monday.
MONDAY:
A resident at Renaissance 88 Apartments reached out to CBS4, saying she'd been living without hot water for nearly a month. CBS4 learned many of her neighbors didn't have hot water, some didn't even have heat.
In a notice given to residents Monday, Renaissance 88 management claimed a "mixing valve" needed for repair had just arrived. The notice also told residents they could request space heaters in the meantime, but few reported receiving one.
TUESDAY:
The following day, the City of Thornton sent an inspector to the property. According the City, all buildings did not supply residents with habitable amount of heat or hot water.
The City gave management 48 hours to repair the issue and restore heat, hot water to residents.
THURSDAY:
Jackie Douglas, a resident of Renaissance 88 without heat, spoke to CBS4 on multiple occasions this week. She visited the office Thursday with CBS4's Tori Mason, hoping to get answers from the manager.
Douglas was told repairs were in progress.
The manager would not comment to reporters. The office closed after CBS4 and concerned residents visited Thursday morning.
Douglas found MAI Mechanical outside her building minutes later. Her heat returned, but CBS4 later found the problem hadn't been fixed for all residents — so did the City of Thornton.
Todd Barnes, Communications Director for the City of Thornton, told CBS4 that the City sent an inspector to the premises Thursday morning. The inspector saw that the motor needed to supply heat was in order. However, residents still reported a lack of heat after the city's inspection Thursday.
Barnes told CBS4 another inspector was sent to the property that evening to follow up on residents' claims. This time, the inspector found that heat or hot water was not being supplied to residents.
Renaissance 88 Apartments did not comply with the City's order to restore heat, hot water to residents.
Now, the City must step in. It's a situation Barnes says he hasn't seen in 20 years.
Barnes told CBS4 the City of Thornton would be at the property first thing Friday morning to provide resources for residents in need.
The City of Thornton says they wished they would've known about this problem sooner.