Prove mold gone, judge says

August 3, 2007

FILTH | Was cleanup at building profiled by Sun-Times only cosmetic?

Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago, IL*

August 3, 2007

BY STEVE PATTERSON Staff Reporter spatterson@...

It's been months since the City of Chicago ordered the politically

connected owners of an Old Town apartment complex to clean up the

raw sewage and other messes in one building.

Those owners provided pictures as evidence they've complied.

But tenants say, and city officials fear, that those owners have

patched and painted over mold and fecal matter in an effort to

simply make it appear better.

Now, a Cook County judge is ordering and his son's

property-management firm to provide proof no mold lingers under new

floor tiles, dry wall and paint in the New Evergreen/Sedgwick

Apartments.

" This could be affecting a lot of people and if the reports indicate

the mold has traveled, like we know it does, then it may be

affecting a lot of other people, too, " Judge Pileggi

said. " I want it addressed immediately. "

City inspectors testified Thursday that raw sewage " sat there for

weeks, " up to eight inches deep inside some apartments, and they

fear " severe saturation " throughout walls and floors in the building.

The city already slapped with violations and Pileggi said no

one can occupy affected apartments until environmental reports show

they are mold-free.

Neither ' attorneys nor building managers returned calls.

Tenants, though, say they're glad housing officials have taken an

interest in their building, particularly since the problems were

laid out in a June Sun-Times story.

Tenant lie provided pictures showing paint jobs that

don't go all the way to the floor -- with mold still apparent at

floor level, as well as an apparently cleaned-out and freshly tiled

furnace room -- except for parts behind the furnace. She also said

new walls are already soft from lingering wetness underneath.

" They want us to move back into feces-land, " she said.

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