JACKSONVILLE, Ark. — Jacksonville officials are cracking down on code violations at four run-down apartments, which have been the subject of complaints of broken windows, mold, high crime, no electricity, and loose animals.
Jacksonville city and state officials said an out-of-state landlord is leaving apartments to fall apart.
The four complexes include:
- Stonevillage (300 South Hospital)
- Parkplace (700 Poplar)
- Windgate (701 Poplar )
- Southview (1201 South Road)
The apartments are all connected to an out-of-state-based company, Park Place Project LLC, that has similar issues with apartments nationwide.
It's similar to what we've reported on for over a year at Little Rock's Big Country Chateau.
Now Jacksonville officials said their years of pushing for better conditions are coming to a boiling point, but it could be a while before the more than 100 residents see improvements.
As a code enforcement officer, Marissa Barger has been inspecting these apartments in Jacksonville for years.
"We've got multiple busted-out windows of occupied units," Barger said. "We've got the boarding over here of the building that a vehicle ran through [and] it was occupied... We keep asking them to secure them. Yet every time we come, we still have broken glass that anybody could reach into and cut their hands on this unit."
However, Barger said she feels helpless when it comes to fixing every violation.
"We have to have an order issued to remedy the situation," Barger said.
That order could come from Jacksonville's Criminal Nuisance Abatement Board. It's the latest step in what Jacksonville Mayor Jeff Elmore said has been unanswered requests for repair.
"Multiple factors are at play here," Elmore said. "Trying to figure out what's the best way. How do we go about taking care of our people and our citizens? That's our number one goal here."
Meanwhile, Jacksonville Police Chief Brett Hibbs estimates that they respond to calls to these apartments daily.
"We've had three shootings this month, fights, drug dealing, break-ins, a lot of stuff that deteriorates a neighborhood," Hibbs said. "We're really short-handed right now, so this creates a burden for us because we don't have the manpower to handle a company that is not taking care of their own property."
While the city plans to condemn some of the vacant buildings, Elmore said shutting everything down isn't their first choice.
"It would be easy to, especially in the state where we find these apartments," Elmore said. "The problem is [we're] talking four complexes in town; that's a lot of people... Truthfully, probably there's not enough other apartments here in town to take all of them."
The Attorney General's Office is also getting involved and is asking the court to order the owners to cooperate and block them from renting out new apartments.
All while city officials push for enforcement while waiting on those legal procedures.
"I took this position to help people have a better living standard and to ensure that those standards are met when we issue citations and notices of violations," Barger said. "Nothing's being done to correct the problem. We feel helpless."
Local management declined to go on camera but claims property owners are no longer giving paychecks.
City officials said residents report being threatened with eviction if they complain to code enforcement, as some units are rented off the books.