Monday night, the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety held a hearing for the demolition of the property at 309 Gibson Street, The Pointe Apartments.
Owner Bob Richards attended the meeting in person along with Anthony Collins, who has been the acting manager of the rental facility. They were allowed to provide evidence to the board as to why the city shouldn’t continue with the demolition order after Manual briefly detailed how the city got to this point.
The issues with the Pointe began in July 2024, and on July 29 an emergency order to vacate the premises was issued because of electrical shock issues, a leaking roof, and black mold. Manuwal said that over the months, people have been found living in the property on several occasions, and on May 19 of this year, a man who was working for Richards making repairs had been living in the building and was found dead of a medical condition.
Collins told the board he had taken action to keep people from staying in the Pointe even and had replaced the locks. He told the board that Richards had spent over $300,000 making the required repairs and that there were only a couple of issues to address, and the project would be complete.
Collins said a couple of pieces of drywall and insulation with mold near one of the furnaces needs to be replaced, and then they can get another air quality test. Half of the building passed the initial air quality test, and he suspects the mold on the drywall near the furnace is the culprit. The city is requiring a licensed electrician and plumber to provide a report on the building, and the fire suppression system still needs to be tested.
Collins told the Board of Public Works and Safety that Richards has no plans to open the apartments in the future. He wants to get the building up to code and sell it.
Richards and Collins asked the Board of Public Works for a two-week delay on the demolition order, giving them time to complete the few items before the next city meeting.
Councilman Don Ecker motioned to move forward with the demolition order, and councilman Dave Morrow agreed. Councilwoman Shiloh Milner and Duane Culp voted against the motion, and Mayor Robert Listenberger abstained because he knows Richards. With a tie vote, Councilman Culp motioned to give two more weeks to complete the work, and Milner agreed. Morrow and Ecker voted against it, and the mayor abstained.
With some additional discussion, the Board of Public Works was able to reach an agreement to give Richards two additional weeks to complete the repairs, get an air quality inspection done, and provide the city with reports from the electrician and plumber. The Building Inspector will inspect the property and report before the June 23 meeting, or the demolition order will automatically go into effect without returning to the Board of Works.
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