Rep. Pam Marsh, concerned that state paperwork might be slowing down repairs, says state officials have no record of a permit in process
By Morgan Rothborne, Ashland.news
Upon reading in an Ashland.news story that state permits were the cause of continued delay in repairing the elevators at the Ashley Senior Center Apartments, state Rep. Pam Marsh went looking for the permits.
If the state was the hang-up, she said, she was eager to find the logjam and clear it out of the way but found none.
“I just confirmed it again. Nobody has heard of any permits at the state level,” she said Monday afternoon.
Almost immediately after the elevator repair project at the publicly funded senior housing development began, Marsh said, she began receiving requests for help from residents.
She responded by contacting the residents to see what they would need, and if it would be necessary to get volunteers to help them. She contacted Ashland Fire & Rescue to ensure residents were not in imminent fire danger. Marsh also contacted the Fair Housing Council of Oregon and was told there may be some kind of case to be made against building management.
A phone call to the council by Ashland.news for more information was answered by a recorded message: “Please note, our telephone line is closed until further notice.”
Those wishing to make a complaint of housing discrimination were directed to the organization’s website. An email requesting more information on the issue at the Ashley Senior Center Apartments was not immediately answered.
Residents of the apartment complex have successfully contacted the council themselves, among other pertinent bodies to assist in their case, as previously reported by Ashland.news.
Marsh said she contacted the management at the apartment complex more than once. The first time, the management “was quite cheery with me,” and stated the project would be completed soon. Attempts to elicit information about how much notice residents were given prior to the work beginning or what the timeline of the project’s completion went unanswered, Marsh said.
An email sent by Ashland.news to the management at the Ashley Senior Center Apartments for comment on Marsh’s involvement, the potential existence of state permit delays and status of the project was sent Monday afternoon and remained unanswered Wednesday morning.
Marsh also looked into some form of aid to help residents temporarily relocate but, she said, “People want to stay in their homes,” and without a working elevator any relocation projects would be quite difficult. Marsh said she was proud of residents for organizing to help each other and handling with grace what resembles a form of involuntary house arrest.
“They’re proving to be a resilient bunch,” she said.
It may be, Marsh said, that a broken elevator happens sometimes, it isn’t possible to get it fixed any faster than parts can be made available and the state’s power of enforcement in this issue is limited.
“Now it’s a question of, is there anything any external party can do to get this thing done as quickly as possible? And let’s be honest about what the hang-ups are,” Marsh said.
Email Ashland.news reporter Morgan Rothborne at morganr@ashland.news.
Related story: Ashland seniors stuck for weeks on upper floors of apartment complex due to broken elevator
