KHA Slow to Fix Homes Destroyed by Fire
“I hate to think what I might grow to become if I lived there.” — Lady Bird Johnson, upon touring an urban renewal project in 1964.
April 26, 2021
Kingston, NY – The Penn Court section of the low-income Colonial Gardens housing complex consists of four-unit blocks. In the first hours of daylight on Nov. 20, 2020, fire broke out in a second floor apartment and quickly engulfed it in flames. Fortunately, no one was home at the time, and no injuries were reported. Five months later, remediation has yet to begin on the apartments of the two tenants who were forced to vacate.
Asbestos-laced debris dumped out windows during a fire Nov. 20, 2020 is still outside. This photo was taken April 23, 2021.
The main doorway leads to an apartment on your left and one on your right and a staircase to a second floor landing, also with an apartment on either side. Someone must have washed the hallway by hand, tracing arcs with arms sweeping like windshield wipers in half circles overhead. On the second floor, the walls and ceiling are still black with soot. Depending on the weather, an acrid whiff of smoke may assail your nostrils.
Looking up at the punched-out window…
…and looking down from the landing.
According to the NIH, asbestos fibers — even low exposure to them — are a health risk and can cause lung damage, including cancer. When residences containing asbestos are renovated or torn down, or when the asbestos is disturbed, minute asbestos fibers may be released into the air. These fibers are so small that they often cannot be seen with the naked eye and can be inhaled without one even knowing, underscoring how dangerous asbestos can really be.
Warning sign on door to burned out apartment at Colonial Gardens. The picture was taken April 23, 2021.
It is not clear whether the fire started in wiring near the window or from burning incense left unguarded. Either way, the apartment remains a jumble of charred personal belongings and building materials emitting cancer-causing fumes.
The view into the studio apartment
A thick layer of ash coats the tenant’s belongings.
Closeup of decades-old insulation and construction material.
The remaining tenant on second floor tenant, Jose Moran, said, “My door was busted in because the Fire Department was checking to see if there was fire in here.” He asked management to replace the lock, but they dragged their feet. So he bought a padlock for the outside and a security lock for the inside. You can tell if he’s gone by whether the outside padlock is closed or open.
The original lock was destroyed.
A security lock for when he’s home…
… and a padlock for when he’s gone.
Downstairs neighbor John Relyea, who said he has a heart condition, complained about the odor. “And still it’s hard to breathe,” he said, adding that management didn’t open the landing window until recently. “It’s a little better, but you still can smell it, it’s never going to go away.” In addition to dangers posed by air quality, soil contamination could be a problem, given studies that show asbestos fibers could be traveling through the ground.
Asbestos fibers could be leaching into the ground.
Concrete bases where lampposts once shed light now invite a trip-and-fall accident, and broken benches long since ceased to host neighborly chats. With the poor or absent maintenance typical of the Kingston Housing Authority’s properties, Penn Court is a dumping ground for the forgotten souls of Kingston.
Broken benches and lamppost base.
Cracked sidewalks, barren soils.
Ed. Note: The more civilized among us realized long ago that housing is a human right. Today, Kingston is facing unprecedented housing challenges that are forcing out many long-time residents, including the most vulnerable. The Vindicator has requested comment on remediation timeline and health concerns from the following:
Benjamin O’Shea, KHA Executive Director
Dr. Carol Smith, Ulster County Health Commissioner
Steve Noble, Kingston Mayor
Stephan Knox, Kingston Director of Building Safety
Tony Davis, Alderman Ward 6
Rennie Scott-Childress, KHA Board member
This article was updated May 4, 2021 to include the Wed. April 28 reply from Benjamin O’Shea and a notice posted at an undetermined time on the front door announcing remediation would begin May 10. The Vindicator saw the notice on May 2.
Following is O’Shea’s email.
“Greetings
- After the fire event at Penn Court the residents impacted were offered immediate accommodation at the Best Western, all expensed were paid including a meal allowance.
- Residents were then offered to relocate, all moving expenses paid, to a comparable sized apartment.
- After the KFD completed their work State Inspectors were on site and advised concerning safety.
- There have been challenges with contractor delays and due to Covid-19 pandemic.
- Mitigation work is scheduled to begin as soon as the State reissues an air monitoring permit, hopefully in the next two weeks.
Sincerely
Benjamin O’Shea
Executive Director, Kingston Housing Authority”
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