Content of the article
The majority of residents who were forced out of a central Calgary apartment building due to flooding and freezing temperatures have been able to return home.
Advertising
This ad has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
Ajay Nehru, a spokesman for Mayflower Ventures LP, said crews had been hard at work repairing Westview Heights on 8th Avenue SW and earlier this week the building had passed City of Calgary and City Department inspections. local fire as well as elevator inspectors. He said on Saturday that 80% of residents were able to return to their apartments.
“They passed (the inspection) at three o’clock on Thursday,” Nehru said. “I received the letter of temporary occupation from the city probably at four o’clock. We notified the tenants probably around 5pm and established a moving schedule, which I’m very happy to say people followed.
Hundreds of residents were driven from their suites in Westview Heights when the building’s pipes burst in late December. The building became uninhabitable, with damage to sprinkler and heating systems, as well as elevators. Water that burst pipes eventually froze over the freezing holiday, damaging stairwells and common areas.
Advertising
This ad has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
Nehru said on Saturday the building had no hot water, but added he hoped it would be fixed by the end of the day. He said tenants wouldn’t have to pay rent until they had hot water.
He said most suites were not damaged by the freezing water, but crews would continue to work to repair common areas over the next few months.
Several residents of the building declined to comment on their return home on Saturday.
Mayflower Ventures initially negotiated special rates for residents to stay at a nearby hotel, but several tenants previously told Postmedia that those payments ran out and they moved from place to place every night.
Nehru previously said Postmedia residents would receive credit for rent during the time they were not allowed to stay in the building.
Advertising
This ad has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
On Saturday, he said he learned the pipes froze and burst after someone broke into the parking lot and opened up an area used by firefighters to access the sprinkler system.
“They left the outside door open,” Nehru laments. “So now you have this pipe which is basically in -30C weather conditions. And so it froze. And that’s what caused the problem.
He said the company was making modifications to the building to ensure such a problem would not arise in the future.
A GoFundMe campaign to support residents had raised $3,465. The fundraiser’s creator released an update last week stating that the funds were used to house nearly 25 families.
