The new management of an embattled Euclid apartment high rise said Monday they are working as fast as they can to fix a rat infestation and other health and safety issues, but some tenants weren’t convinced.
Neighbors at the North Pointe Apartments on Lakeshore Boulevard have been complaining about rats, bugs and mold for about two years. Beachwood-based RHM Management took over the property in May from Pepper Pike-based APM.
At a Euclid city council meeting on Monday, RHM’s lawyer Ken Lapine told councilors they’ve leased new dumpsters that are set to arrive August 1, implemented a new pest control strategy, reorganized the maintenance staff and hired a new cleaning contractor.
Lori Reynolds with RHM says they’re working to fix issues that came to light under previous management.
“We just got in in May, so we have plans in place. They don’t happen overnight,” Reynolds said.
But neighbors at North Pointe and the surrounding community said something needs to be done sooner.
“Rats in our laundry room,” one neighbor told city council.
“Bitten and bitten and bitten and bitten by bed bugs,” another neighbor recounted.
“I was watching television when the report came on Channel 5,” Victor Goodman said. "No one, regardless of economic condition, should be forced to live in a slum. Euclid is not a third world city.”
On Monday, Euclid City Council voted in favor of a resolution asking the city to move up a planned August 14th annual inspection of the property over imminent health and safety concerns. The resolution is not binding and Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer said, with just one city inspector for all multi-family dwellings, it may not happen.
"There’s a cost to that,” Mayor Holzheimer said. “So we will certainly consider that.”
Mayor Holzheimer said a fire safety inspection was scheduled for Thursday and that outside of a thorough annual inspection, city inspectors had been at the site daily responding to resident complaints.
