The owners of the Ralston Tower, Infinity Real Estate, have been notified of at least 13 safety and code issues over the last three weeks. Residents say they are dealing with broken air conditioning units, leaking roofs, unreliable elevators and unsanitary conditions.
These issues are among others that have occurred in the past.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: More issues at the Ralston Towers; temporary evacuation ordered by HUD
The Ralston Tower closed in 2020 after a wrongful death suit that was settled in 2019.
The owners say they spent nearly $15 million to refurbish and re-open the 111-year-old high rise. In recent weeks, however, the city was contacted by residents, which brought six AC issues and seven other potential violations involving leaks and trash to the owner’s attention.
“So as of today, the owner has been responsive, making repairs in any of the cases that we have gotten involved in,” said Ryan Pruett, director of Columbus Codes and Enforcement. “So, the city’s ordinances require the city to go do an inspection of a unit, document, any issues that there may be, and provide the landlord or the property owner with a reasonable amount of time to correct those issues.”
Housing advocate and Vice President of United Way of Chattahoochee Valley, Pat Frey began sounding the alarm on the building again after a tour with a resident last Wednesday.
“Deplorable conditions, just the general upkeep, housekeeping and maintenance.” Frey said.
“I mean you walk in, there’s a stench of something just very dirty. We saw rooms with temporary air conditioners which were not properly installed because they were not cooling the rooms it was running, but not being functional.”
The building’s owners say that due to the historic nature of the building, issues will arise, but they are determined to keep the building safe.
Ownership is committed to maintaining Ralston Towers in a condition that is safe for its residents and compliant with HUD requirements. Owning affordable housing is a partnership with the community and its residents. We rely on our residents to act responsibly. We need residents to notify property management of issues as soon as they arise. I can assure everyone that all work orders and complaints delivered to ownership will be addressed timely, as they have been since we bought the property. This is a historic building that is over 100 years old. It sat vacant for over two years. There will be plumbing issues. There will be AC issues. We strive to address these issues promptly, including providing residents who report a problem with a portable AC unit if their unit is not cooling and an immediate repair is not possible.
Greg Jones
Ralston Towers Owner
Currently, the building stands at about 90% occupancy. City officials say they want to ensure residents are safe and healthy.
RELATED COVERAGE: Continuing issues at Ralston Tower worry city councilors
“We don’t want to see it revert to where it was before under the previous ownership in that situation. We’ve continued conversation with the mayor, as well as the property owner, to make sure they understand the concerns.” Pruett said. “Any time you have a couple hundred units, a couple hundred residents, you know, we want to ensure that their safety and health is top of mind for everybody.”
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