The Runnymede Gardens senior housing complex in East Palo Alto has been given 30 days by Police Chief Wes Bowling to correct some essential problems or else face citations from the city.
Among other things, Bowling told the City Council last week that the complex lacked a working fire alarm system, which is required by law. He have given the owners of the complex seven days to fix the system.
"They had no fire alarm system whatsoever," Bowling told the Council.
Bowling gave the apartment owner seven days from Nov. 21 to fix the fire alarm system. If it is not fixed by then, he said he would bring in fire inspectors to issue a citation.
And if other problems are not fixed within 30 days, Bowling said he plans to go to the district attorney to request charges of elderly abuse be filed.
According to the company which owns and manages the building, the problems are in the process of being corrected.
Ancel Romero, assistant director for property management in Northern California for Goldrich & Kest, Inc., said, "The issues between Runnymede Garden Apartments and the city of East Palo Alto have been characterized by gross miscommunication.
"The confusion has since been cleared up," he said. "The city and Goldrich & Kest have come to an agreement on how to resolve the situation."
Romero declined to offer any other details, or to say when the fire alarm system will be fixed.
The Police Department got involved after residents of the senior complex complained to the city about numerous problems. Tenants submitted a list of complaints to the city, Bowling said.
Bowling said that 16 of the 18 apartments have code violations, ranging from exposed wiring in kitchen stove hoods to plumbing problems to a loose security fence on a balcony. The complex is located at 2301 Cooley Ave.
Bowling said tenants told him the washing machines were broke for two weeks, forcing them to send their laundry out.
Those and other problems were difficult for the tenants, Bowling said. He was especially concerned about the lack of a working fire alarm system because many of the seniors have reduced mobility and some of them use motorized carts to get around.
"You've got old people who are not ambulatory, who need all the warning they can get if there's a fire," Bowling said. "That's what concerned me."
--Don Kazak
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