Fort Wayne buildings back open after sewage problems
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) About 48 hours after several buildings at an apartment complex were condemned due to raw sewage, three of the buildings have been reopened. There were about 300 people forced out of their home when the building was condemned on Thursday.
“It was complete chaos after everybody got word. It traveled very fast, a lot of misinformation was given which made it a whole lot worse,” Baldwin Creek property manager Jenna Lockstadt said.
Two days later, it was a very different scene. There were hardly any cars in the parking lot, and it was a relatively quiet complex. The Allen County Building Department gave the all clear on Buildings D, F, and G Saturday afternoon.
Building E is the other building still closed. NewsChannel 15 got to tour building E on Friday, including its basement where there had been nearly eight inches of sewage when the building was condemned.
Lockstadt wants the public to know crews have been working around the clock to get all 96 apartments back open.
“I’m going to try everything I possibly can to help them move back in, give them all the resources I can to get their stuff out of the hotels, out of the shelter, keep the peace, and get them back home,” Lockstadt said. “I’m ultimately at the end of the day responsible for over 300 people. So, I take responsibility and I’m trying to do everything I can to get them back in their homes as soon as possible.”
Lockstadt also said the severe weather the last few days has only made the clean-up more difficult.
“All the rain water just made it go from bad to worse. Now, it did rain this morning and it did rain last night. That was a big concern for the building department as well. They were here whenever it stormed and they assessed the situation in there and everything is fixed,” Lockstadt said. “For us to be able to open these back up, the problems had to be permanently fixed.”
As for whether the last several days will impact the possibility of future tenants moving in, Lockstadt said it’s definitely a concern.
“I think it will affect us just momentarily. I think people will move on to the next big thing that’s happening in Fort Wayne,” Lockstadt said.
Some moving back home Saturday said this experience has actually reaffirmed their decision to live at Baldwin Creek.
“Accidents do happen, it’s not management’s fault. They’ve been quite cooperative with us in all actuality. They’ve more than helpful and assisted quite a few tenants and we’re very, very happy and very pleased to be back at home,” resident David Glenny said. “I’m going to stay home, put my feet up in the air conditioning, and enjoy my family.”
Lockstadt expects Building E to reopen by the middle of next week. Baldwin Creek’s owner will also pay for a hotel for those specific tenants starting on Monday. Any tenants of Building E that still need hotel vouchers must contact Lockstadt by Monday. Those vouchers are good for up to five days, depending on how long it takes for Building E to reopen.