Pics from the new job - 56k might grab coffee

[The-Gr8-Ox]

Wow, you sure got alot of work ahead of you.
Are you just going to clean it up and replace all the worn equipment, or is there going to be a full remodel of the complex?
are there plans to make this a livable place again?
if yes, what the alotted time to complete the project?
are you going to have to upgrade to the newer 07 UBC code specs?
Just the Architect in me is curious

[visualpoet]

Fake Thug - I found it on craigslist. craigslist - not just for cheap ass parts! lol

GR8 - They're not even doing a remodel, just the bare minumum needed to rent apartments. I have to steal parts from vacant units until I absolutely can't find a used part on the property. They claim they're going to make it livable again, but I wouldn't live there. I'm amazed at the level of idiocy and ignorance that occurs at the corporate level sometimes. (For instance, today I spent the day using a bobcat to destroy playground equipment. The only thing wrong with it was some graffitti, but the VP is coming next week and the Project Manager said get rid of the playground equipment. Don't worry about the doors that don't shut or are missing, or the hundreds of broken windows. Tear down the playground equipment. ) I don't think they have to meet the new code, but I could be mistaken (or they don't care. There's a flooring contractor laying down heavy duty vinyl wood plank flooring over plyboard that bounces when you walk on it. I mean floors that are soft enough to make you step back when you hit them. AND THEY LET HIM!!) No time limit that I'm aware of.

Here's an article about the purchase and plans back in '03. The property has not seen the $9M they claimed was going to be spent on renovations, but they did actually purchase the California section a couple of years ago to complete the original property.

Friday, October 31, 2003

The Lincoln Park West apartments near Westland Mall have emerged from a bankruptcy reorganization with a new owner that is pledging to improve the complex.

Matrix Realty Group Inc. of Ronkonkoma, N.Y., closed on its purchase of the 1,280-apartment complex this month after paying the bankruptcy estate of Port West Associates LP $13.65 million. Richard McGilvary, the Matrix regional vice president overseeing the Georgesville Road complex, said the company plans to spend $9 million to upgrade the 74-acre property, which was renamed Wingate Villages. "We're a company that buys depressed real estate, comes in and fixes it up to where the property was when it was first built," McGilvary said. Lincoln Park West, he said, "was right up our alley." Matrix owns a portfolio of 4,000 rental units at seven properties in five states. Wingate Villages marked its first investment in Ohio.

The complex has the potential to generate $600,000 a month in gross rent when fully occupied, said a marketing brochure prepared for the auction by CB Richard Ellis and Keen Consultants LLC, marketers of the property. The complex dates to the mid-1960s, primarily through the development efforts of Nationwide Insurance and the late John W. Galbreath. At the time, the complex of 118 buildings counted 1,740 apartments divided into themes. The complex was renamed Shannon Way after Port West Associates, led by Michael Braunstein Group, purchased the property in 1987 for $32 million. In the late 1990s it took on yet another name - Darby Woods.

Thomas Fortin & Associates took over as managing general partner and property manager in October 2001 with a two-year option to buy out the group's 100-plus limited partners.

Tom Fortin, owner of the property manager, said he took over a complex that was close to defaulting on its Housing and Urban Development-backed loan. He worked to add social services for tenants of the complex, which by then had attracted immigrant laborers.

The complex's California-theme section was sold in 2000 to Paramount Financial Group of Granville for $5.3 million in a failed attempt to raise money to assume the HUD loan. The loan at the time stood at about $26 million. Fortin also restored the Lincoln Park moniker.

When Fortin's option lapsed, HUD selected a new manager to work the apartment complex before its investors filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors in August 2002. The court this year directed attorney Frederick Ransier of Vorys Sater Seymour & Pease, trustee for the partnership, to auction the property. "We got it to 10 feet below the surface, but we couldn't get the ship into the harbor," Fortin said. "We just didn't have enough time to turn that big ship around." But the challenges that Fortin experienced remain. The complex consists of 177 one-bedroom, 922 two- and 172 three-bedroom apartments. It also has nine efficiency apartments. McGilvary said 550 of the 1,280 units are occupied. He blamed the complex's reputation for its 57 percent vacancy rate.
Matrix, he said, will work to rid the complex of troublesome tenants.

A name change is also a key. "The property's not of the top of people's list; it has a reputation you want to get away from," McGilvary said. "We hope the new name brings people to us quicker." McGilvary said Matrix's plans are to replace roofing on the buildings and make interior improvements to all units. "There have been attempts to renovate the property over the years," he said. "We'll bring it up to date." Quite a challenge

Ed Joseph, an apartment investment specialist with CB Richard Ellis, said Matrix bought the complex at a good price, but it still faces challenges. "If you look at the price per unit, even after rehab, (Matrix) will be into it at an attractive price," said Joseph, who worked with CB's investment sales team of Don Roberts and George Stecz. "At $18,000 per unit, that's a favorable price," he said. But Joseph said the size of the redevelopment effort scared away some potential bidders. "I guess the challenge is just the pure number of units," he said. "At the end of the day, you're going to have to lease up 600, 700, 800 units," Joseph said. "It'll be like leasing up two brand-new properties. That's a process that'll take years as opposed to months." McGilvary said Matrix is up to the fight. The company wants to reacquire the Paramount-owned units, he said. Matrix also may seek to get its property annexed into Columbus, something Braunstein and Fortin couldn't achieve amid city concerns about the complex's crime problems. McGilvary noted the company will display a "hands-on" approach by managing the property itself."We'll walk the property all the way," he said.

And on to everybody's favorite part - pics! Sorry about the graininess on some of them. They were taken in DARK environs and I just did a quick brightness adjustment. The basketball halfcourts are under the building in the upper right corner of this pic:

[The-Gr8-Ox]

thats crazy to make that piece livable with next to no money, stupid corporate.

[ACCLUDE91]

WOW! There's enough work there to keep you employed for a long time to come!

[AstroVannin]

Looks like a kinda cool gig.

[Leung]

damn that looks like fun working there.

[MadSpleen85]

Some of the buildings don't look too bad from the outside, the inside is a whole different story. Does anyone go with you into these buildings when you are working or are you just out there alone? If not a gun I would at least be carrying a big torque wrench just incase I stumble into a homeless camp.

Is there any copper plumbing and/or wiring in any of the HVAC units left or has it all been stripped out? I know around here if the buildings windows aren't barred there will be someone in there taking anything copper.

[visualpoet]

Some of the buildings don't look too bad from the outside, the inside is a whole different story. Does anyone go with you into these buildings when you are working or are you just out there alone? If not a gun I would at least be carrying a big torque wrench just incase I stumble into a homeless camp.

Is there any copper plumbing and/or wiring in any of the HVAC units left or has it all been stripped out? I know around here if the buildings windows aren't barred there will be someone in there taking anything copper.

Nobody goes with me, I'm not skerred of anything! lol That's a lie, I'm nervous about popping the doors on empty apartments, but I'm pretty good at defusing volatile situations. If I can't defuse them, I'm pretty good with my hands and feet! I've got a nice sized pipe wrench in my bag, but I have been thinking about taking my 750,000 volt stungun with me.
Most of the copper is gone, as well as the A-coils from the furnace air handlers and most of the condensing units. Although in one of the pics, there's some pretty good size pipes still in the wall. I guess they got caught or spooked before they got to finish the job.
The novelty of the property is starting to wear off though. I can tell it won't be too long until I'm fed up with the place. The Project Manager doesn't give a shit about anything except covering his own ass. I told him today that one of the contractors was spinning his tires on the street and doing at least 70 mph through the property and his response was "So what?" I said "I just thought you might want to talk to him before he kills a child on the property."
And I spent today running a Bobcat again, moving parking stops from one end of the property to the other. At the end of the day the PM asked me how it was looking. I told him I still had a few left to move and he asked where I was putting them. I told him out behind the parts shop where Jim the Maintenance Supervisor told me to put them.
He said "So I've got a big mess back there?"
"No, you have a nice neat stack of them back there."
"Oh, so you actually got out of the Bobcat and stacked them?" (These are HUGE stops, they have to be 12 inches by 8 inches by 72 inches, rebar reinforced concrete)
"No, I stacked them with the 'cat."
"Oh, so you're not JUST an HVAC guy?" "
"Nope, I'm a multi-talented bastard. You just hired me for the HVAC skills."

[icedplaya123]

damn thats big!

Thats what she said

It seems like a cool job, but it would be kinda freaky at the same time.

[visualpoet]

Today I stood in three inches of water gushing from numerous broken pipes in an occupied building for over two and a half hours. The basement units were all full of garbage and destroyed. At some point in the past, they had a massive sewer back up into this building, and the remedy was to remove the drywall and carpet, board up the windows, and lock the doors in the basement. We managed to shut off a couple of pipes, but there were still half a dozen spraying water everywhere. We can't touch them until they shut the water down to the whole area because the building shut offs are rusted open.
The conditions I saw today were the final straw for me. I'm not quitting until I find something else, but I did write a nice letter to the Franklin County Board of Health. I hope it helps.

I recently took a job working for Matrix Realty Group. Apparently they own the property known as Wingate Villages, 4312 Westport Rd, Columbus, Ohio.
Normally I would not feel the need to contact anyone concerning my workplace, but after several weeks on the job, I feel that Matrix is operating a slum and they should be investigated. There are people living in buildings that have units that have been flooded, windows boarded over, doors kicked in, windows busted out, animals have made homes in units, the list is much longer, but you will see my point.

One building in particular is what caused me to contact your office. The street address is 580 Dunbury on one side, 571 Sherwood Forest West on the other. The basement units are all unlivable. There was allegedly a sewage back up in the past, the drywall and carpeting have been removed, the units closed up and forgotten. There have been burst pipes which have flooded the basement units. People have kicked in the doors and left behind trash and vandalism. I do not know how the tenants can stand to live in the building. I also cannot find any records of the boilers having been inspected since 2005.

Many other buildings are in similar condition. People are being moved into buildings that have sections blocked off because they are untenable. 267 Georgesville Road is one such building. (I believe this is the correct address. It is the second building along Georgesville road).

I also believe that the rehabilitation they are doing on other units is not up to city code. Someone should check plumbing, furnaces and water heaters along King Edward, Knob Hill and anywhere there are tenants living. Water heater connections are being made by connecting cpvc pipe to copper couplings at the top of the heaters, furnaces are being repaired just enough to be barely functional and vinyl wood flooring is being installed over top of sub-flooring that sags when you walk on it. They refuse to purchase any new parts if there is one somewhere on the property, which means that maintenance men have to enter dark abandoned units and remove parts in basements that have been home to animals and vagrants, many of the floors covered in unknown detritus. I have also seen the dessicated remains of animals (cat, rats, mice, birds) in these vacant units where we are told to find parts.

I took this job with the understanding that they were trying to rehab the property, but they have owned it for years and it has seen a steady decline. There are approximately 1500 vacant units out of around 1700 and the majority of those vacant units have broken windows, kicked in doors, vandalized interiors and they make a good home for vermin. I have seen dog, cat, raccoon, rat, mouse, insect and human feces in vacant units. I also believe I have seen deer feces in one or two units.

I would prefer not to lose my job, but my conscience weighs on me every day. I truly feel that Wingate Villages desperately needs to have some sort of official inspection, not only at the addresses I have mentioned, but also across the entire property. If it would be possible to not mention where the tip came from I would be greatly appreciative.

Thank you,
Jon Williams II

[ilovemycb7]

This stuff is crazy. I just read through all of this. Around where I live there is really NOTHING like this and I can't imagine just leaving this much space vacant. Who knows what has happened in these buildings... it looks like it could make for a good reenactment of I Am Legend.

[visualpoet]

[visualpoet]

Hallway and a half bath.




I love that the vacuum cleaner is still plugged in!




These are pics of the same tub, 24 hours apart. pipes bursting in the unheated basement level caused the ceiling to fall in. You can almost watch the property collapsing.

[8ball]

How much is the government paying you to clean up that dumpster? BTW those are the projects right? Why not send Katrina survivers there?

[visualpoet]

How much is the government paying you to clean up that dumpster? BTW those are the projects right? Why not send Katrina survivers there?

Not a damn thing, it's privately owned. I have contacted the local board of health and I'm going to contact a couple of other agencies such as REAC and the city code enforcement agency. The sad part is it used to be a beautiful community, and could be again, but they don't want to spend the money.