It’s not the kind of surprise a building director wants to find.
Mold was growing inside the walls of the 15-story Lake View Terrace High Rise building in downtown St. Joseph – the 107-unit public housing facility for low-income seniors and permanently disabled individuals.
The mold was growing because the sewer and cold-water plumbing was failing. The plumbing was failing because it relied on era-appropriate galvanized pipes that have an estimated lifespan of around 40 years – longer if the pipes have been well maintained. In this case, they weren’t.
Over the past several years, building officials knew there was a growing problem with the plumbing. Shutoff valves in individual apartments were rusted and often disintegrated if turned. The maintenance team frequently had to shut off water service for entire sections of the building just to make single-unit plumbing repairs. Pinhole-size leaks from pipes within the walls were often detected only after moisture was found on the outside surfaces.
In March of 2021, Lake View Terrace High Rise Executive Director Nicol Brown informed city and federal officials of the problem. “Especially after identifying that we had mold in the building, we definitely had to reach out to HUD to see if we could get some emergency funding.”
Navigating Uncle Sam
An application for emergency funding was drafted and after months of federal reviews and back-and-forth information gathering, in April 18, 2022, Brown learned nearly $5 million in federal money was approved.
Brown drafted an emergency repair plan and in June 2022, she asked contractors for public bids to relocate residents and all their belongings, replace the faulty pipes, remediate the mold, fix the flooring, replace drywall, fixtures, and finish, and make related improvements. The first set of bids came in over budget, so Brown adjusted the timing and asked for additional bids.
By fall of 2022, the contract was awarded, and work started in January 2023, scheduled to take no more than 6 months.
While the original budget for the emergency repairs was just under $5 million, when contractors opened the walls, they saw even more evidence of pipe failure and ended up replacing all the plumbing. Even though initial inspections went well, some electrical updates were still required for the cooking appliances in every unit. In all, unexpected work grew the budget by nearly $1.3 million bringing the total project cost to $6,215,547.
“When I took the job, I had no idea that the building was in the condition that it was in as far as the piping, probably (because) everything was hidden behind the walls. But I’ll say maybe after my second year here, that’s when things just started getting worse,” said Brown.
The People Side of Change
Fixing the building was one challenge. Helping residents grasp the enormity of the project and understand that they would be moved out during construction was another.
Brown said the residents initially took the news of the emergency repair plan very well.
“I’ll say the residents in the beginning were very excited to know that we got the funding, that the building is going to be fixed. They were not too excited about having to move out.”
Once residents were settled in the hotels, Brown said they quickly came to appreciate the daily hotel-supplied breakfasts and having their rooms cleaned. By mid-July, Brown says residents were anxious to move back.
“Moving back? They are super excited. Our movers said when they went to pick up personal items, (the residents) were ready. Boxes packed, sealed, and ready for (the movers) to bring them to the building.”
Brown is appreciative of all the parties who worked on the project: Brooks Architectural, Greenspan Construction, Mead & White Electrical, Pena Electric, The Firm Plumbing, SERVPRO for mold remediation, Hassle Free Moving Services, and Storage City. Area hotels that helped with residents include Staybridge Suites, Country Inn & Suites, SpringHill Suites, Candlewood Suites, and Red Roof Inn. Brown says on-site, Davie Gray and Albert Baham contributed greatly with ongoing maintenance and demolition assistance.
More to Do
While most residents are back in Lake View Terrace now, the remaining are expected to return by Labor Day. Brown said there are currently 30 vacancies in the building and a waitlist of 50 apartment applicants.
With the plumbing fixes installed and fixtures updated, Brown also added several units that are Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant.
Next on Brown’s building to-do list, major appliances and a new boiler. Brown said many of the refrigerators and stoves, donated by Whirlpool Corporation years ago, are nearing their life expectancy. Brown said Whirlpool Corporation has offered a discount for replacing the appliances and she’s also asking community organizations for additional help.
“Our next big project will be applying for more emergency dollars for our boiler system. We spent a lot of money this past winter on some issues with our boilers. So that’s something that we definitely want to update is our boiler system,” said Brown. “I haven’t got it priced out yet, but I know (replacement) will be a couple million dollars.”
The Bones are Solid
During the emergency funding consideration, HUD officials floated the idea of razing the existing structure and rebuilding.
Brown said there’s been so much investment in the building over the past two major renovations (interior and exterior) that it would be a shame to waste that money.
“It’s a good building. It’s solid. The people here, we’re not related, but we’re family. This is their home.”
