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be part of the "The challenge is struggle, tornalce a positive diflerence." -David Satcher
Barriers To Employment - p.4
Access Press. Volume 8, Number.9
SOURCES
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RESOURCES
September 10, 1997
TENANT TURMOIL Management Problems Create Unsafe Conditions by Jane Wheeler
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t'samajorstorm. Theelec- despite a power outage. Hostricity has gone out in vari- pitals, care facilities and maous parts of the city. Sud- jor high-rises use backup gendenly a barrier forms around erators for these types ofemeryour house: you are trapped gency situations. inside. Worse yet, you are trapped outside. It sounds Jon Dickerson is the managborriblii, but thisise&iiilhly ing general partner for Cen.
rise buildings did have generators in place. She explained that since major power out ages have not been a large issue in the past, there has not been pressure by the public to make generators mandatory. While she admits it would be
Hartwigsen's night on July 1 , 1997.
erator in place, sherecognizes that it will be a sacrifice of possible future repairs. She said, "if you are investing half the reserves, what are you giving up?"
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Photo provided by Evan Kernp Associates
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During the storm on that date that caused power outagesand flooding in the Twin Cities area, power was lost in part of the Holmes Greenway complex and both elevators were inoperable from approximately 9:30 PM on July 1 until 7:00 PM the following day. Hartwigsen along with four others spent the night in the building's common area. These five members of the Holmes Greenway community use wheelchairs and were unable to get to their apartments using the stairs. "I basically sleptsittinginmychair. I had a pillow and leaned on a table," Hartwigsen said. Other residents who use wheelchairs were trapped within their apartments for over twenty hours. A problem like inoperable elevators is an obvious failure in the intended mission of the residence. Holmes Greenway isa' 15 year old building that was designed to be wheelchair accessible. Its purpose is to provide housing for disabled people who receive Housing and Urban Development (HUD) subsidiesfor their living expenses.
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After the July 1 storm, some of the residentsrequested that a backup generator be innot b e ~ d n e d B P r d stalled ~ to the elevator motors, so they would function K m - c a . on p. 3
limited partnership that owns Holmes Greenway. He also runs DiversifiedEquitiesCorporation that manages the building. In an interview he said that they are already accepting bids on installing a generator but the outlook is not promising. He claimed that the first bid they received estimated approximately $62,000. This expenditure would take up half of the reserves available for the building's futuremaintenance needs like replacing carpeting and windows. When the final bids come in, Dickerson will then have to submit the bids for approval to HUD, who insures the building's mortgage. HUD would then determine whether the building has enough financial viability to support the expenditure. Since the July Is storm, HUD his become more aware of the potential problems of not installing backup generators in multifamily complexes. HUD sponsors many buildings that are designed specifically for the disabled and the elderly, but it does not at this time have a generatorrequirement. Patricia Mack is a public affairs officer for HUD and was upset when the situation at Holmes Greenway was brought to her attention. She looked into the various designs of HUD complexes and found that a few of the high
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This is not the first time residents have had to pressure the management at Holmes Greenway to make changes in the building in the interest of accessibility. Some of the residents with physical limitations were unable to work the mechanical locks that were in place on the apartment doors. This was particularly difficult for those occupying the corner rooms. The locks are only a few inches away from the hallway walls. This orientation does not allow clearance for a wheelchair. The residents temporarily used the unsafe solution of leaving their doors unlocked. A freighting condition that Kathleen Hagen of the Disability Law Center says is probably quite common. "People are traditionally leaving themselves in unsafe situations around Minnesota, because they are unable to lock their doors," she said. Hagen advised the residents in negotiating their solution. The residents requested that automatic, electronic locks to be installed on the doors of the units. Hagen explained that the ADAdoes not require building owners to offer elecHolmes - con1