City asked to force apartment building owner to make repairs|[03/06/07]

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Vicksburg officials will decide Friday whether to force the landlord and owner of the Vicksburg Apartments to repair a leaky roof the owner said is a result of Hurricane Katrina’s strong winds.

Mike Davis, who bought the property in July 2005, attended Monday’s city board meeting to appeal a letter sent out by the city’s inspection department condemning the top floor of the apartments and demanding action be taken.

Victor Gray-Lewis, head of inspections, showed Mayor Laurence Leyens and the two alderman photos of water leaks, exposed electrical wiring and damaged flooring. He also said that water had leaked down the elevator shaft. The letter sent to Davis said, in accordance with state codes, the structure is &#8220unsafe.”

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&#8220We have asked Mr. Davis to, within 60 days, bring the 11th floor into compliance,” Gray-Lewis said.

Davis told the board that he has not yet repaired the leaking roof because of &#8220issues with insurance.” The hurricane hit Mississippi in August 2005.

Leyens told Gray-Lewis that updated photos should be taken before the board can consider Davis’ appeal. The board tabled it until Friday’s board meeting.

&#8220If the roof is leaking and people are living there, I’m not sure what kind of appeal you’re making,” Leyens said to Davis.

Davis argued that the condition of the 11th floor is not as bad as the letter suggested. He said the roof has leaked only twice and some of the tiles that fell as a result have been replaced, but not all of them. He also said that electrical wires are not exposed, although Leyens pointed to pictures taken by inspectors that showed visible wires. Davis also said water was not going down the elevator shaft as the letter had stated.

Since buying the building, nearly 80 years old and Vicksburg’s tallest, Davis, a local real estate executive and owner of Davis Realty, said he has put money into the downtown building to improve it.

&#8220The building is a whole lot better now,” he said. &#8220It’s ridiculous to receive notice of this.”

He said a tenant, who was living in apartment 11-A, is the only person who has moved out because of the leak. He said having repairs done on the floor would force out long-term tenants, some of whom have been residents for nearly a decade.

&#8220It is our legal obligation to adhere to the minimum standards,” Leyens said. &#8220If the roof is leaking, that’s the fundamental issue at hand. People have a right to live in a safe, clean environment.”

The building operated for 47 years as the Hotel Vicksburg. When it opened, the hotel boasted all the comforts of the day, including ceiling fans, iced water, a telegraph office and a taxi stand.

The hotel closed in 1975 but reopened as the Vicksburg Apartments in 1979.