Aberdeen residents get word they'll be let back into their apartments / LJWorld.com

Archive for Thursday, November 12, 2009

Jennifer Goode, with her dog Louie, left, and Kim Springer lost their apartments in the fire at Aberdeen South in October. Residents still haven’t been allowed in the apartments to get personal items and other belongings.

By Chad Lawhorn

November 12, 2009

Aberdeen residents allowed to collect belongings

More than a month after fire damaged an Aberdeen apartment complex the displaced residents were allowed to return to salvage what belongings were left after the blaze. A spokesperson for the business said the process was lengthy because of legal procedures. Enlarge video

Victims of an Oct. 8 fire at Aberdeen South Apartments got the news they were hoping for on Thursday.

Several victims expressed concerns to the Journal-World on Wednesday that the management company for the apartment complex had not allowed them back into their former homes to salvage any personal items from the debris.

On Thursday, the residents were allowed to go into their former apartments and retrieve what they could.

A regional manager for the apartment management company — Campus Apartments — said that a legal waiver allowing the residents back in was completed Thursday morning.

The manager said the company wished the waiver could have been completed earlier but it was a complicated process because it involved working with an insurance company and several attorneys.

“Campus Apartments sympathizes with the inconvenience the delay has caused them, but ensuring residents’ safety has remained our top concern,” Anna Flores, regional manager, said through a written statement.

Discussion

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12 November 2009
at 5:45 p.m.

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bigmike (Anonymous) says…

Imagine that, they got the legal waiver done just one day after they made the paper for screwing these poor people around all this time.
We all know the only thing they were worried about was their own butts (a legal waiver doesnt make it any safer)!
Lets face it, MOST property owners in this town are just scum bags that have/had enough money to buy property.
12 November 2009
at 6:11 p.m.

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AreUNorml (Anonymous) says…

bigmike, had the property management let them into that building without the waiver and someone gets hurt, they will lose plenty of money. It's not the property owners fault that we live in a sue happy nation. It's the nanny state government that we all continue to beg for. Could everyone moved a bit faster to resolve this for these folks? sure they could have. But they are likely dealing with dozens of different contact points from the residents to public safety officials, insurance companies to state bureaucracy. And it's really hard to convince Sally in some office at ABC Insurance Co. that this tragedy is any more important than the other 20 that she's currently dealing with.

your rant looks to be aimed at anger towards the “Haves”. by process of elimination, you must be a “Have Not”. buck up little camper, rejoice in what you do have.
12 November 2009
at 6:22 p.m.

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MyName (Anonymous) says…

Oh sure, it's the nanny state government, and bigmike is just a prole railing against “the man”. But who the heck are paying the lawyers salaries in this “sue happy” nation? It's not Joe the Plumber, that's for sure.

This is a case of one corporate entity having to CTA against another one, it's all about complicated contract law and not about any kind of government legal wrangling.
12 November 2009
at 6:40 p.m.

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audibleangel (Anonymous) says…

LOL nice photoshop job. or is that MS paint?
12 November 2009
at 7:05 p.m.

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GardenMomma (Anonymous) says…

Really? It took the management that long? How interesting that one day after the story comes out in the paper that the residents get permission to try and salvage what they can.

I'm not a lawyer, but…

“I, (state person's name), accept all and any responsibility for entering (state person's address) and any area within 500 feet. I, (state person's name), understand that the structure may be unsound and by entering said property I assume all risks. I release (state management's name) and all related parties from any responsibility arising from any injuries, minor or major, that I, (state person's name), may or may not have received while on said property.

Signed and witnessed.”

That took me about 5 minutes.

This one takes even less time:

“I, (state person's name) will not sue (state management and it's affiliates) for any injuries sustained while on (list property). I understand there are risks entering (state building) due to (list circumstances.)

Signed and witnessed.”
12 November 2009
at 7:11 p.m.

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jkealing (Jonathan Kealing) says…

audibleangel—

I can assure you, that photo is 100% real. Nothing was photoshopped into or out of the photo.

Jonathan Kealing
Online editor
12 November 2009
at 7:12 p.m.

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GardenMomma (Anonymous) says…

Must just be weird lighting then. It does look kind of sharp colored on her blue sweatshirt.

12 November 2009
at 7:25 p.m.

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bigmike (Anonymous) says…

AreUNorml
rant… Really?
Sounds like you are one of the scum bag “haves” I was refering to!
I don't have a problem with people that have, just the ones that are more worried about the all mighty dollar than anything else.
It doesn't take a dam month to draw up a simple waiver! It had Nothing to do with safty.
I bet if it was your pesonal belongings you would be singing a different tune!!
“buck up little camper” does your little group of friends think your dumb s#*t is funny, or have you just convinced yourself?
12 November 2009
at 7:38 p.m.

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gmakim (Anonymous) says…

That is me in the blue sweatshirt and I assure you it is as it was taken…nothing is put in or taken out of the photo. Aren't there more important things to talk about then to accuse the Journal World of photo shopping a picture!! I am thankful they did the story and got them moving.
12 November 2009
at 9:27 p.m.

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Darin (Anonymous) says…

Anna,

Please give me a call back. You have ignored my phone calls for over a month now.

You know who I am because I pay your company money every month and live in one of those apartments you see in the photo.

Don't worry though…I'm not expecting you too. That would show a little heart and I have a hard time questioning that you have one right now.
12 November 2009
at 10:53 p.m.

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cletus26 (Anonymous) says…

yeah whatever!!! but i did see some of them getting there stuff today, so that is good. but i just ain't buying the managements story.
12 November 2009
at 11:25 p.m.

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mdrndgtl (Anonymous) says…

That picture looks 'shopped. You can tell by the lines, plus I've seen a few 'shops in my day…
12 November 2009
at 11:32 p.m.

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AreUNorml (Anonymous) says…

you're so right big mike, i'm just rich as sh!t and hate everyone who has less than me. oh please. I struggle to make ends meet at the end of the month just like everyone else. But I am happy that I have what I do have and don't spend my life dwelling on why other people have more than I do, and how unfair it is. If you don't like your station in life, better it. But don't you dare blame people who have worked and sacrificed their time and energy to accomplishing goals.
I'm sorry you don't appreciate my humor. I'm glad you're not my friend.
13 November 2009
at 1:15 a.m.

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bigmike (Anonymous) says…

Ever hear the expression arguing on the enternet is like competing in the special olympics, even if you win your still retarded…
13 November 2009
at 5:51 a.m.

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redmoonrising (Anonymous) says…

I guess so, big mike. The correct grammar on that one is “you're still retarded.” See what the internet is doing to our minds? And I resent your comment, having a “special needs” child who seems to be more intelligent than you.
Sure this smells funny but it got them going and the people got back into their apartments. Now everyone can stop whining and we won't have to see any more of those scary photos with the person in the forefront glaring at the camera. This is a business and they are just protecting their b*tts. Plus, I for one would not want to go back in there until I was sure it was absolutely safe. Nothing I own is worth that.

13 November 2009
at 7:48 a.m.

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AreUNorml (Anonymous) says…

wow big mike, does your little group of friends actually find your dumb sh!t amusing?
13 November 2009
at 1:26 p.m.

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bigmike (Anonymous) says…

Sorry redmoon, didn’t mean to offend you. I was just trying to make a point to AreUNormal.
Not sure why he wants to engage so bad, and don’t really care but I'm starting to think he has no friends to give him attention. Regardless of why, I'm bored of it and moving on.
My whole point (first post) was that people that own apartment complexes in this town could care less about the people they rent to, it’s all about getting the most and doing the least…
I hope I dotted my i's and crossed all my t's, the last thing i want to do is upset all the perfect people!
17 November 2009
at 4:05 p.m.

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hawkfan_05 (Anonymous) says…

I live at Rose Garden apt's, the ones that caught fire on Oct 17. The fire marshall, city inspector, landlord, city planner, & landlords insurance allowed every resident, including the ones who had total loss, to retrive any and all belongings within a few days! They actually said that any belongings left after the first week(give or take) would be thrown away with demolition. The Aberdeen people are totaly at fault on this one. They have the authority to allow residents into the property within days, a week at the most. I understand the need for safty but a waiver was not needed. Also, the fire dept told us that any belongings we wanted, they would have removed That Night (of the fire). So shame on you Aberdeen, I hope you lost all of your faithfull tennants because of this failure of management.