WESTWOOD, Kan. — At Thursday's city council meeting, Westwood's Mayor John Ye couldn't promise that mounting issues at the new Woodside Village apartment complex would be fixed, saying they fall on the contractor.
Concerned citizens came wanting answers.
Residents say leaks over the course of months in multiple units led to mold concerns. Some tested positive, and some residents had to relocate. Management offered the option of terminating leases.
"This problem has been going on for seven months, and I honestly think the time for talking and debating is over," resident Steve Carlson said to the council.
Carlson isn't staying in his apartment due to a positive mold test after the apartment's test said there was "no reason for concern."
He filed a complaint with the city.
Carlson demanded that Westwood city council uphold city code, which states leaky windows, walls, doors, and frames could be grounds for fines.
"The city should use all of its resources to ensure that its residents are not breathing in mold," Carlson said.
A former resident sent us pictures from inside her apartment, where you can see water leaking onto the carpet from the wall, and water pooling on her patio. She said she moved out because the problem was never fixed.
Woodside Village management says they found issues with the contractor's exterior construction, and remediation is underway.
Residents tell 41 Action News they want the city to take more responsibility.
"Somebody inspected this. I don't know if certain people were just turning a blind eye, and things weren't really taken care of the way they should've been," Jayme Tebow said.
Tebow doesn't live at Woodside Village but asked the council how the issues could happen if someone inspected it.
The city says they did many inspections and the building met code, and they don't scrutinize "poor craftsmanship."
McPherson Contractors Inc. was hired to build the development. 41 Action News reached out to their office in Topeka for comment, but have not received a callback.
On Nov. 2, Woodside Village told residents they hired Neighbors Construction for corrective work.
Westwood and the developer, Tanner & White, are in a public-private partnership. The city approved $28 million in tax breaks in the form of tax increment financing, meaning the developer pays no property taxes.
"They were pushing to have this project done. I just want to make sure that these tenants over here have been taken care of. This is a public safety issue," Tebow said.
Ye told 41 Action News they have to allow the apartment time to fix the problems.
Apartments at Woodside Village lease around $2,500.
A south phase is planned but the council voted to continue talks about the phase's CID at a later time.
