Memo from Moss on Beacon Light


What follows is a memo from City Manager Jerry Moss to the Mayor and the city council regarding conditions at Beacon Light Apartments.

Last week, I talked to Dan McCanless with HUD concerning the deplorable conditions found by our City Council during a walk-through at Beacon Light Apartments. The raw sewage, mold and garbage piled against the building with the dumpsters full of garbage is beyond comprehension. I told Mr. McCanless that our citizens did not deserve to live in these conditions any longer.

He made me aware that HUD was looking at foreclosing on these apartment and vouchers would be issued to the tenants of the apartments to find them Section 8 housing elsewhere in the area. It was my understanding from talking with him this process would start immediately and within 60 days, all of the tenants would be removed from these apartments.

However, the next workday (last Friday) he indicated that Mr. George Carr with Beacon Management had expressed an interest in purchasing this property and completely renovating the apartment units. Mr. Carr called me this past Friday and said he was very interested in this project and he would, if allowed to purchase these apartments, come in and spend $100,000 to get the apartments livable ($100,000 will not make these apartments livable). He indicated to me it would be September 2007 before he could begin complete renovation of these units. I really don’t think we should subject our citizens to these conditions for another eighteen (18) months. However, I told him this was a subject that I would discuss with our City Council as soon as possible and I would advise him of your thoughts on this matter.

Based on the conditions our citizens are currently living in at these apartment units, I would recommend that we ask HUD to foreclose these units, give our citizens vouchers for Section 8 housing within this area and let the apartments be purchased at the foreclosure proceedings.

I want you to discuss this matter today during our meeting and come to a consensus on our next move. Just remember, every day that goes by, we have citizens living in these conditions and I believe it is in their best interest if we ask HUD to take the necessary steps to begin foreclosure proceedings immediately.