Tenants discuss living conditions at downtown Augusta complex

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - From trash spilling outside the dumpster to urine in the stairways, families who live at the Richmond Summit on Broad Street are fed up with their living conditions.

We talked to tenants who live there about the changes they want to see and who they want to see held accountable.

“We need some help out here,” said Juanealyn Bell, resident. “Right now, I got rats in my apartment right now.”

Aretha Ayers, a resident, said: “Some people urinate in the elevators.”

They say drug activity and crime are big problems in the building, too. News 12 found complaints on file with code enforcement from October of last year. Tenants complained of rats and plumbing issues in the building. Code enforcement cited the apartment for problems with water leaks and missing pipes.

“Whoever these owners are, they need to be held accountable,” said Ayers.

The owners of the property, Redwood Housing, went before the Augusta Commission on Tuesday and addressed middle to long-term steps such as alarms on doors and renovations.

They say it’s an ongoing process. We called and emailed the owners, but we have not heard back yet.

Commissioner Jordan Johnson said: “They had mentioned they had conversations about security cameras and the need for renovations that’s something that’s timely. Definitely needs to be talked about, but what about the immediate, the right now.”

Ayers said: “Just because we’re on a fixed income, mentally ill, and disabled that doesn’t mean we have to live like this.”

We reached out to code enforcement to confirm if those violations from October have been fixed and re-inspected, and they said: “The violation has been fixed per the tenant and we are currently waiting on the invoice from the contractor who made the repair.”

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