NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The Codes Compliance Department in Newport News gave a progress report for the condemned SeaView Lofts apartment complex Thursday.
The verdict: Some work has been done, but not enough to let people back into the building, yet.
There are five main areas that have repeatedly failed inspections throughout July, as residents have scrambled to find places to live and the property's owners have been in and out of courtrooms.
- The hot water boiler has to work properly, and not leak
- The one chiller for the building is leaking; the building needs two properly working chillers
- Both elevators have to pass a 5-Year Annual Test Inspection
- There has to be lighting for emergency egress points in the building's stairwell
- The fire alarm system has to work and pass a witnessed test
According to a report that came out on August 11, the building's Fire Alarm Panel permit-- a frequent point of emphasis inside court hearings about the building's condition over the last six weeks-- passed an inspection August 9. However, the building isn't nearing the finish line yet.
Despite the progress made on the Fire Alarm Panel, attorneys for SeaView Lofts owner Ben Weinstein said it's unclear as to the timetable in which residents will be able to return.
“You make promises then disappoint people. Every day we’re doing what we can, but what if someone says, ‘The elevator control boards are on order from wherever and they’re delayed.' I don’t want to make promises, but we are doing everything we can," attorney Joshua David said.
SeaView Lofts has hired someone to fix the boiler and chiller in the mechanical room, but they omitted information for the "Heat and Ventilation Load Calculations" when communicating with the city. The codes department is reaching out to the contractor to make sure the new systems will be powerful enough to make the building comfortable.
The owners have also hired someone to work on the elevators, which need new SmartRise controller boards, the document says. There's no word yet on when the parts for those boards will arrive.
In terms of egress lighting, SeaView lofts allegedly put some in, but the city says they weren't installed by a qualified professional. The codes department is now requiring a licensed electrician to redo the work and be present during the next inspection.
When the owner was last in court, on August 5, a Newport News Circuit Court judge ordered him to pay $1,000 per day (on top of other penalties) until the code issues are fixed. Those fines may be "purged" based on the timeline of the building's repairs.