Mold problem prompts bid to demolish Weeks complex

Erin Neff

Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2000 | 1:35 a.m.

Amid charges residents have been left in the dark about potentially hazardous mold, the Las Vegas Housing Authority on Monday agreed to ask the federal government for permission to demolish HH Weeks Plaza.

Rosie Austin furiously questioned housing authority Director Frederick Brown and board members after learning 75 percent of the public housing units in her complex have severe mold growth.

"Why wasn't the residents who are in there now told about the mold considering how hazardous it is for our health?" asked Austin, president of the resident council at Weeks.

Austin said she still hasn't received any written notification about the problem from the housing authority and only learned about the mold about a week ago "through the grapevine."

A report read to the board by authority facilities director Sid Whitlow made it seem that someone has known about the problem for quite a while.

"The units at Weeks Plaza continue to deteriorate faster than we can maintain them," Whitlow said. "We are now experiencing mold in practically every unit.

"The main area of mold growth is behind the kitchen cabinets, so that after abatement we must replace the entire kitchen," he added.

Brown said that once the mold was discovered, the housing authority worked with health officials and its environmental hazards contractor to determine the severity of the problem.

"When mold is discovered, there's a unit-by-unit investigation," Brown said.

Austin asked the board to tell her which of the 184 units had mold growth and which didn't.

"Ain't nobody been in my apartment to check for mold," she said. "I've been sick a lot lately."

Whitlow said he would contact her after the meeting to find out whether inspectors missed her apartment.

But Las Vegas City Councilman Michael McDonald, a housing commissioner, was troubled by the report and wanted to know when residents who live there would be given vouchers to move to other public housing or Section 8 housing.

Brown said that even Monday's vote to notify the federal department of Housing and Urban Development won't result in demolition of the Searles Avenue complex anytime soon.

HUD won't even notify the housing authority whether it will authorize demolition until September 2001. It could take three years for demolition to occur, Brown said, referring to a past case at Ernie Cragin Plaza.

"To date there has not been any indication that the mold could cause any harm to the families living there," Brown said.

In addition to the mold problem, the housing authority has determined that Weeks Plaza is not a viable development for other reasons.

Weeks accounts for 8 percent of residents, but accounts for 11 percent of the public housing budget.

The housing authority will apply for HUD funds and examine tax credits and bonds to redevelop the site into single-family town homes or duplex construction.

Whitlow said that type of development will reduce density and relieve the need for 24-hour security, which currently costs $750,000 a year.

The housing board unanimously approved the resolution asking HUD for funding and permission to demolish Weeks. Commissioner Niecy Harris was absent.