Corbin apartment complex condemned, tenants ousted

City officials announced Tuesday they plan to condemn a downtown Corbin apartment complex this week and will be giving residents 48 hours to vacate due to numerous health and safety violations.
Residents of Tracy Apartments, on Kentucky Ave., have been without water or heat since last Wednesday. Electricity to the main building has been shut off as well, though individual apartments do still have service.
“The building can’t supply them with any water, so therefore they don’t have any sanitation and they have no heat,” Corbin Building Inspector Frank Burke said. “It’s unfit for occupation. We have to shut it down … The owner is required by law to provide them with heat, water … just everyday living essentials. If they don’t have that, their health and welfare is definitely in jeopardy.”
Burke, along with members of the Corbin Fire Department and the Whitley County Health Department conducted a final inspection of the building Tuesday morning before making the official determination to condemn it. Residents received notice through a door-to-door canvas of the building.
According to residents, the 12-unit complex has a history of problems dating back at least a year. Water has been shut off to the building, intermittently, several times and heat has been a problem as well.
“It happens, like, every other month,” one resident said. She would not give her name for fear of reprisal from property owners.
Another resident said constant rumors swirl in the building about possible condemnation and is worried about her future living arrangements.
“I thought about moving from here, but I sent my rent in and I ain’t got no money to move,” she said. “I know you are supposed to have heat and hot water. This isn’t right. They won’t fix anything.”
During an annual general inspection in early September, members of the Corbin Fire Department found numerous violations including wiring problems, unapproved stairwells, non functioning self-closures on doors, switch plates and plug covers missing, etc.
For years, Fire Chief Gary Disney said inspectors could not gain access to the building’s basement because it was padlocked and no one could be found that could open the lock. This year, the door was open and what they found set into motion the recent condemnation.
The building’s boiler unit was in disrepair, Disney said. It was covered with unshielded asbestos and was possibly venting carbon monoxide directly into the building when in operation. A pressure release valve was too corroded to work properly – a vital safety feature for boiler systems because they can prevent damage or explosion in case of a malfunction. There were exposed electrical switches. Areas of the basement were submerged in an inch of water, some of it back flowed or leaking sewer. Some human feces was also discovered and numerous cats were living in the basement, seemingly unattended.
Inspectors from the Kentucky State Fire Marshall’s office ordered the boiler shut down last week, essentially cutting off heat to the building’s residents.
“They have no heat, none whatsoever,” Disney said. “Before the boiler is turned back on, it has to be repaired by a state qualified inspector.”
Tracy Apartments owner Juder Stidham III, a resident of Texas, said he didn’t know water had been shut off to the building until Friday afternoon. He said it would be turned back on Tuesday, but as of press time it was still off.
“We’ve been working to take care of those violations,” Stidham said. “I don’t know what exactly has been done … I’m not fully apprised of the situation.”
Residents say that rental agreements require residents to pay rent and electric and the building owner pays for all other basic utilities (gas and water).
It is illegal for anyone to live in a structure that does not have reliable heat and water service.
Former property manager Carlee Rutherford, who resigned her position Monday, said she’s not to blame for problems at the building.
“I am done with the Stidhams,” she said. “All I did was collect rent. They won’t fix anything or do anything. These people don’t need to be without water. My hands are tied when it comes to these apartments. I’m done with it.”
Rutherford said about $3,000 worth of work was done two years ago to update the boiler. She claims she’s asked Stidham to fix other problems with the building to no avail.
“He’s trying to ignore the whole problem.”
Rutherford said she was not responsible for paying utility bills, only collecting rent and depositing it in a bank account for the owner. Stidham said he has had communication with Rutherford about improvements to the building, but would not provide specifics.
“It’s a situation that we are going to work with everyone concerned to make sure they are up to specification,” he said.
Burke said only about six of the 12 apartments were occupied as of Tuesday afternoon. He said city officials were working with local churches, charitable groups and the Corbin Ministerial Association to try to find temporary housing for residents who have nowhere else to go.
“We’ve got some people who just don’t have anyplace to go. It’s a sad situation,” Burke said. “We are trying to refer them to different organizations hoping they will help.”
Burke said the Tracy Apartment building is not structurally unsound, but once condemned cannot be used or entered until all violations are remedied.
Burke said he plans to tackle a similar problem later this week at a six-unit apartment complex on Seventh Street just across from Corbin Middle School. Stidham owns it as well.