From: Michael McLendon <mhm@ix.netcom.com> Sent: Tuesday, October 1, 2024 9:38 AMTo: Carol Myers <carol.myers@accgov.com>; Patrick Davenport <patrick.davenport@accgov.com>Cc: Mike Hamby <mike.hamby@accgov.com>; Ovita Thornton <ovita.thornton@accgov.com>; Dexter Fisher <dexter.fisher@accgov.com>; Mike Hamby <mike.hamby@accgov.com>; John Culpepper <john.culpepper@accgov.com>; Tiffany Taylor <Tiffany.Taylor@accgov.com>; Melissa Link <melissa.link@accgov.com>; Jesse Houle <jesse.houle@accgov.com>; 'Niki Jones' <Niki.Jones@accgov.com>; 'Kelly Girtz' <Kelly.Girtz@accgov.com>; 'Judd Drake' <Judd.Drake@accgov.com>Subject: Clarke and Athens Gardens IssuesImportance: High
I am contacting your regarding the health, environmental, and general conditions of Clarke Gardens (Myers) and Athens Gardens (Davenport) in the hope that you will take timely action to address resident issues. I visited both complexes on Monday and was appalled at the general condition of both properties particularly Athens Gardens. Both properties are owned by the same California based entity and both properties are managed by the same California based property management firm.
A concerned citizen reached out to me on the behalf of residents seeking assistance because they did not believe anyone in the ACC government cared enough to solve their problem. It is my understanding that residents from these two apartments asked you for help and your response was that you would contact their Neighborhood Leaders to address their problems. I hope that is not the case. But if it is, I am disappointed that as an elected official you would seek to shift responsibility and accountability onto someone who has no role in the governance of ACC, is not an ACC employee, and no ability to take any action.
I note that online reviews describe these properties as being abysmal. The exterior condition of Athens Gardens looks more like abandoned property than habitable housing where children can be safe and there is quality of life. While Clarke Gardens looks marginally better some buildings are overgrown with several units appearing to be empty. Available LIHTC information indicates Clarke Gardens was renovated at some point. The dumpsters at both locations have evidently been overflowing for a long period of time. The smell permeates the air, and this is not a healthy situation for residents. Athens Garden residents reported continuous problems with overflowing sewers particularly at the corner of Bldgs. 13/14. The asphalt at that location is stained with sewer overflow that has drained into standing water. If you walked on that asphalt the first thing you would likely think about is throwing away your shoes...which I did. I did not personally observe sewer overflow issues at Clarke Gardens but that does not mean they do not exist.
I tried to talk with someone in the two management officers, but no one was there at that time. I did speak at length with an Athens Gardens resident who described in detail their sewer, trash, and other problems.
For your information, I attempted to call the health department Monday afternoon after my visit because in my view this situation was a public heath emergency. However, I was surprised to learn the health department does not have an emergency number for the pubic to report a public health emergency. I found a number on their web site and was able to eventually reach someone who immediately referred me to ACC’s Environmental office without even asking any questions! I then went online to send the health department an email alerting them to the situation. I called the ACC Environmental office as suggested, but I was never able to talk to a live person, so I left a message. In the meantime, someone from the NE Ga Health Department did call me back after reading my email. She was courteous and shared that she had forwarded my email to ACC because she immediately recognized there was a problem, but explained the health department only deals with septic tank issues. I have still not received a call back from the ACC Environmental office.
I share these details to get across the point that ACC is a massive bureaucracy that is almost impossible to navigate. It is as if no one is in charge and citizens are on their own to try to piece together solutions to their problems. For many citizens this is an impossible task, and I well understand how intimidating such an effort would be for these residents. Citizens should ne able to call one number like 911 who can triage the issue and initiate actions across ACC that will solve the problem.
Clearly, there are issues here regarding the performance of the property management company. However, ACC has a responsibility to its citizens to assure quality housing and services. As the elected officials who represent the citizens of Clarke/Athens Gardens, I propose you take the lead to ensure ACC immediately executes the following actions and/or with the property management firm.
Assess the totality of the sewer problems at both complexes to include sewer inspections to identify and fix any problems.
Steam clean and sanitize the sewer manhole cover area and pavement at Bldgs. 13/14 at Athens Gardens.
Empty the overflowing trash dumpsters at both apartment complexes as well as clean and sanitize the dumpsters and locations areas. (ACC can do this as a courtesy).
Thoroughly inspect both apartment complexes for code violations and demand remediation of all deficiencies with follow-up.
Analyze past HUD/Dept of Community Affairs inspection reports for these properties and engage with the property management firm for both properties to ensure it is fulfilling its obligations under HUD and other requirements.
Meet with tenants now and on a recurring basis to assess the conditions of the properties and leverage ACC government’s powers to encourage the property owner/property management firm to facilitate improvements.
The Mayor gave an interview with WUGA on 28 September recapping the Mayor & Commission three-day taxpayer funded retreat in Greenville. In justifying going to Greenville for the retreat, he stated how important it was for them to get out of the “muck and mire... out of the pile of laundry and the stack of dirty dishes....” to talk about the future. I suggest that Job # 1 for City Hall is to “take care of the laundry and the stack of dirty dishes each day” to serve the needs of ACC’s citizens. Your job is about getting your fingers, elbows, and arms dirty doing work to benefit citizens. If you cannot do that everyday, then thinking about the future is not important and can wait.
Our citizens should not have to live this way.
Regards,
Michael H. McLendon
Spot on. We should be looking out for for the well being of our neighbors.
It’s funny they want to pass the buck to the Neighborhood Leaders while NOT approving a 2% pay raise for these pillars of our community. They ALL make less than $40,000/year. They have zero control over housing. It’s the sole responsibility of ACC to ensure the safety of these residents by taking action against greedy corporations that buy up property to exploit people that are already struggling.