Board of Health Issues Two More Correction Orders To FHA – CapeNews.net

The health department issued two correction orders to the Falmouth Housing Authority after tenants complained of problems in their apartments over the last two months. The orders were issued after the department inspected and found violations of state sanitary code that sets the minimum standards for human habitation.

Falmouth health agents inspected a unit for reported mold last week at the four-story Harborview building, an affordable apartment building owned by Falmouth Housing Authority. The health inspector found buildup of mildew coming from a heating ventilation unit as well as on the living room and bedroom walls. FHA Executive Director Bobbi J. Richards said in an email to the Falmouth health board that ServeProa remediation companycleaned the air vent.

In October the health department responded to another tenant who complained of faulty lighting and outlets in their unit at the Tataket building, another large apartment building owned by FHA. The health agent found the kitchen light and entrance light to the unit was not working and the light over the stove was dim. According to paperwork submitted by the housing authority, an outside electrician made the necessary repairs.

The two federally funded apartment buildings have been under scrutiny by the board of health since August when they received an anonymous letter that led to the health departments inspection of the buildings. Upon inspection, the health agents found mold, mildew, leaky pipes and water damage throughout the buildings. In the unsigned letter, tenants complained of unhealthy living conditions from years of water damage.

The board of health is requiring Ms. Richards to give updates to the board on remediation efforts and replacing all the pipes after the initial citation it issued. She was before the board on November 22, with an update on the two units and the capital project.

The two buildings were constructed using poor-quality piping material used during construction in the 1970s. The extensive undertaking to replace and repair the faulty copper pipes at Harborview was slated to begin in November, but will now start just before the Christmas holiday and last about 16 weeks, she told the board. The 80 tenants will be displaced for three to five days when the pipes in their units are being replaced. The housing authority will find temporary housing for each tenant, she said.

The repairs to the Tataket building will begin after Harborview is complete, she said. The cost for the project is $1,481,000 and will use three years worth of capital funding if the housing authority does not receive a federal grant that Ms. Richards applied for.

The rest is here:
Board of Health Issues Two More Correction Orders To FHA - CapeNews.net