Future of Riverview Terrace apartment building in Adrian could be determined next week

The Riverview Terrace apartment building in Adrian is pictured July 28, 2022. The city of Adrian has declared a local state of emergency due to the approximately 200 residents of the building who have been displaced after structural problems in the building forced its evacuation Monday.

ADRIAN — The future of the Riverview Terrace apartment building in Adrian could be determined as early as the end of next week.

The building has been condemned since Monday, when its almost 200 residents were forced to evacuate. Officials said Friday the evacuation was due to a 6- to 9-inch gap between the wall and the floor in a third-floor apartment that was discovered while maintenance workers were changing the carpet.

Due to the discovery of the gap, which officials have been referring to as a “crack,” preventive measures were put into place earlier this week, including the evacuation of the tenants.

The building serves people who are 62 or older and the permanently disabled.

More: Kiwanis Riverview Terrace apartments in Adrian evacuated Monday due to structural issues

More: Adrian declares local state of emergency for Riverview Terrace situation

Evacuation efforts Monday began just after noon and continued until about 3 p.m. The Adrian fire, police and public works departments; Lenawee Transportation; Dial-A-Ride; and Lenawee County Emergency Management assisted with the evacuation. Residents of the apartment building were relocated to the Piotter Center/Adrian Senior Center, or they had the option to request to be picked up by a family member or friend.

Adrian city officials, local politicians and representatives from Medallion Management Inc. of Kalamazoo take part in a news conference Friday morning at Comstock Park in Adrian to discuss the future of the condemned Riverview Terrace apartment building, 400 College Ave. Adrian City Administrator Greg Elliott, right, introduces, from left, Adrian Building Official Tony Nicholas; state Rep. Bronna Kahle, R-Adrian; Scott Beltz, CEO of Medallion Management; Aric Massingill, Adrian fire chief; Sen. Dale Zorn, R-Onsted; and Adrian Mayor Angie Sword Heath.

Since then, building residents who have expressed the need for shelter have been provided with rooms at area hotels and motels, which have been paid for by the owner of Riverview Terrace, according to Adrian City Administrator Greg Elliott.

Elliott, along with Scott Beltz, chief executive officer of Medallion Management, the company that manages Riverview Terrace, spoke at a news conference Friday morning at Comstock Park and fielded questions.

Because of the limited availability of rooms in Adrian, approximately 80 residents were transported from Adrian to Dundee Friday morning where they have been set up with housing arrangements at a hotel “that can accommodate all the residents who expressed a need for temporary shelter,” Elliott said.

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Scott Beltz, chief executive officer of Medallion Management Inc. of Kalamazoo, left, and Adrian City Administrator Greg Elliott address a crowd gathered Friday morning at Comstock Park in Adrian regarding the future of the condemned Riverview Terrace apartment building, 400 College Ave.

“Meals, medication, transportation to medical appointments, etc. will be provided to residents in need of those services by our Dial-A-Ride,” Elliott said.

Those residents being housed in Dundee are expected to be there for more than two weeks.

Testing and inspection of the building this week ruled the structure is unsafe and it has been condemned by the city, which Elliott clarified, simply means the building is not habitable by people at this time.

“It doesn’t mean (the building) has to be torn down,” he said. “It means it can’t be occupied at this time. If it’s repaired it could be reopened.”

On Tuesday, the city declared a local state of emergency for the apartment situation. By declaring a state of emergency, Elliott said, the city could be eligible to receive funding from local, state and federal sources that can assist with the remediation of the apartment building.

The Lenawee County Board of Commissioners and Chairman David Stimpson also declared a state of emergency at the apartment building and that “response and recovery aspects of the emergency operations plan have been activated within the city of Adrian, and that local resources are being utilized to the fullest possible extent,” the county’s state of emergency declaration, said.

The reopening of the building, meanwhile, could take months, it was said.

“Based on the statements that we’ve had from the structural engineer, it’s going to take months, not weeks, to repair the building,” Elliott said.

Adrian City Administrator Greg Elliott reads a statement from the city of Adrian regarding the future of the condemned Riverview Terrace apartment building at 400 College Ave. Friday morning during a news conference in Comstock Park in Adrian.

Elliott stressed the importance for residents to make short-term living arrangements.

“For the moment, the hotels in Adrian have existing reservations due to race week coming up, so we found a place where everybody can be accommodated, which is in Dundee,” he said.

Beltz said the future of the building is a big question. More information about the severity of the problem will be learned next week when structural engineers are going to be at the building “off and on,” he said.

“The city (of Adrian) did phenomenal. And they did not take this lightly. We did not take this lightly. It’s not a popular decision to condemn a building. But it was what was right. It was right for the residents and safe for the residents. And, at the end of the day, everybody’s here to talk about it,” he said. “…We don’t have all the answers. We’re still gathering information from structural engineers.

“The intent is not to abandon the property,” Beltz added. “I’ve seen and read a lot of things. This was not hidden by anybody. It is very simply on the third floor, maintenance personnel was replacing carpet and pulled back the carpet and took a picture of it sent it to me and — just a chain of reaction, things happen. … We didn’t hide it. We didn’t plan on hiding it.”

Because of the situation, residents will have their security deposit refunded to them, Beltz said, along with rent for August. Residents are able to leave or take their items to and from their unit, but they must first contact Riverview Terrace staff before doing so. There is no charge for residents to leave items in their unit. If, during any possible construction, items left inside the units need to be removed, Beltz said management will reach out to residents.

“As soon as the building was condemned, the lease automatically terminated,” Beltz said. “And that triggers for us to return security deposits. We’re fine with the residents that plan on coming back to keep their things there. There’s not a charge to keep the things there. I’ve discussed that with the ownership and they’re fine with just keeping everything there.”

Beltz said the intent is to repair the building.

“We don’t know what that looks like,” he said. “I wish I could share that. But we’re less than a week into this.”

At this time, architects and civil engineers have said Riverview Terrace is fixable, Beltz said.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has taken the lead on addressing the needs of the displaced residents, Elliott said. Additional agencies and organizations including the city of Adrian, Lenawee County Emergency Management, Riverview Terrace, Lenawee Transportation, Dial-A-Ride, Region 2 Area Agency on Aging, Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority, Lenawee County Department on Aging, House Help of Lenawee and Share the Warmth of Lenawee are working together to make sure residents’ needs are being addressed.

The Lenawee Community Foundation has an option to make monetary donations to the residents of the apartment building at www.lenaweecommunityfoundation.com, using the “Riverview Terrace Response Fund” dropdown option.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Future of Riverview Terrace in Adrian could be determined next week