Resident cites concerns at Rieger

SANDUSKY — A city resident leveled serious accusations against her landlord, claiming substandard living conditions. The resident spoke during Monday's Sandusky city commission meeting, pointing out many problems with her apartment at the Rieger Building, which houses Rieger Place apartments, on Jackson and West Market streets in downtown Sandusky. For fear of retaliation against the resident, the Register opted against naming this person. "I have been there for 11.5 years, since the day it reopened in 2014, and I'm just here for direction and to (bring) awareness that the building is being left in disarray," said the person, visibly distraught and on the verge of tears. "The building is being left in disarray. The Rieger is not going to make it." Intended for senior citizen residency, the Rieger Building secured $8 million through a state-based nonprofit to transform this historic property into apartments. Previous reporting indicated this building, upon reopening 12 years ago, offered 37 upper-floor apartments, but it's possible there could be as many as 49 units in there today. Among the issues raised by this person, at the Rieger: • "The windows are leaking." • "The roof is leaking." • "Dead bugs all over the outside of the window." The resident, a born-and-raised Sanduskian who visited the Rieger as a child, pleaded with city commissioners about what action could be taken. First opening in 1912, the building originally operated as a hotel and, decades later, as a nursing home. It's listed in the National Register of Historic Places. "I've been told not to waste another piece of paper on filing a work order," the resident said. "I'll be glad to (fix some of these issues). I've even offered to pay out of pocket (to) hire someone. But (the management company) told me don't waste another piece of paper. They put little Band-Aids on gaping wounds and basically tell us to put duct tape over your mouth." The resident viewed city commissioners as a last resort to remedy longstanding issues. "I'm embarrassed to have my family come up there," the resident said. "I love my little apartment. The building is falling apart, and it needs attention." City looking into concerns Following Monday's public meeting, Craig Ward, the city's code compliance officer, immediately began researching the claims made. At least one person representing code compliance "went to the Rieger Building on Tuesday to meet with the tenant, who was unavailable," Ward said on Thursday. "This office would like to inspect the apartment." Ward answered additional questions sent to him by the Register: Q: Who is the management company responsible for maintaining and ensuring proper living standards for residents? CW: The management company appears to be RLJ Management. During our attempt to meet with the tenant on Tuesday, we spoke to (the) property manager onsite. She seemed aware of the complaints from this apartment and claimed to be making steps for some roofing and window repairs on the building. Q: How serious are this resident's complaints? Are they valid? CW: Code compliance inspected the unit the afternoon of April 16 and did not find any code violations at the time of the visit. The resident had reported water leaking through the windows during rain events, but that was not evident during the inspection. We've asked the resident to contact us the next time it occurs so we can document it firsthand. Q: Does this company also own the street-level storefronts, occupied by businesses, in this building? How are they affected? CW: I don't know the answer to these questions. Q: How many people live here? CW: We do not know how many people live in the building. Note: City records show the building has upward of 49 rental units available. Taking concerns seriously Sandusky officials stressed the importance of not only fielding housing-related issues but following up on them as well. "We take resident concerns seriously, and we understand how important it is to feel heard when something like this occurs," city ex officio mayor Kate Vargo said. "When someone comes before the commission, we make it a priority to ensure it reaches the right people," Vargo added. "The city will take the appropriate steps based on what the staff finds. Most importantly, we want our residents to know that they can come to us with concerns, like this, and trust that we will listen and take action."