Published: August 06, 2008 10:34 pm         

Apartment property going to be sold

The parcel of land that is home to the Regina Apartments in Gauley Bridge is scheduled to be sold at public auction Aug. 27.

According to a legal notice issued by Dianne Goff Crysler, acting state director of the USDA Rural Development (former Farmer’s Home Administration), the property will be sold to the highest bidder in a trustee’s sale at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 27 at the Fayette County Courthouse.

Fayette County Commissioner Matt Wender says numerous individuals and agencies have been working in concert with the county commission in recent weeks to find a solution to the problem, which, depending on the resolution, could find residents needing to find another place to live. In the end, he said the main goal is to prevent the possibility of those residents being forced from their homes without someplace else to relocate.

Back taxes in excess of $50,000 are owed on the Gauley Bridge property and the other Fayette complexes, including about $10,000 for Gauley Bridge, said Fayette County Assessor Eddie Young. On a municipal level in Gauley Bridge, the last B&O taxes received were in December. The complex’s business license expired July 1, and there is not presently a manager on site.

A phone call last week to an Ohio number listed for Nu-Tech Housing Services, a firm that has been involved in ownership of the Regina Apartments and four others in Fayette County (one in Ansted and three in Smithers), to see if the company aims to redeem the property or take another path wasn’t returned.

“The role of the commission has simply been to draw attention to the situation before it becomes worse, and to bring to the discussion those parties who can help craft some solutions,” said Wender. “Clearly the only viable option is to keep these units open and address the deficiencies that must be remedied.”

Among the agencies represented in recent meetings concerning the issue have been the W.Va. Housing Development Fund, Legal Aid, the office of the Fayette County prosecuting attorney, the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, Capital Resource Agency, USDA-Rural Housing, the Fayette County legislative delegation, local municipal leaders and Southern Appalachian Labor School.

If the auction proceeds as planned, possibilities include finding a private buyer who would be willing to perform the necessary repairs and maintain the apartments in their current incarnation, or perhaps allowing a non-profit agency to take over operations.

All told, the five complexes include 120 units.

Gauley Bridge Mayor Damon Runyon, for one, says he doesn’t want to see the GB apartments shut down entirely.

“I don’t want to see them go away,” he said. “I would prefer it be for senior citizens or handicapped.”

Ansted Mayor Pete Hobbs said Monday he is fairly confident in the future of his town’s Christina Apartments. After having paid about $8,000, which included a $5,400 sewage fee, Nu-Tech is current on all of its bills to the town. Hobbs says the town has never been owed back B&O taxes for the complex, which consists of about 30 units. He also said that recent evictions took care of problems of some residents who were out of compliance with guidelines.

“They’re not acting like somebody that’s getting ready to sell it,” said Hobbs.

Runyon, who is unsure how many people reside in the Gauley Bridge apartments, says his town’s police department is called upon frequently to handle problems that arise at the Regina complex. “The police have to go up there continually. I’d like to see it better managed.”

Smithers Mayor Tom Skaggs says 64 units make up Willodene, Gertrude and Amos Landrum apartments in his town. Owners are current with their municipal bills.

“I’ve gathered it’s possible they all could go on the block, but right now they’re not looking at anything like that,” he said.

“We’ve got nowhere to put (the residents),” he added. “If it were to happen, it would be devastating.”

Dottie Davila, a representative of Capital Resource Agency, says the key is to “keep those residents in their apartments.”

Both Davila and Hobbs praised the work of Wender and others in seeking a solution.

Further background information was unavailable from USDA Rural Development.

— E-mail: skeenan@register-herald.com