The Redondo Beach Unified School District Board of Education on Tuesday night addressed concerns over Heritage Pointe Senior Apartments, the recently-embattled complex that occupies district-owned land.
R.J. Miller, a representative for the Foundation for Affordable Housing, Heritage Pointe’s owner and the lessee of the District’s land, was in attendance to issue a report to the board. In it, he detailed the company’s response to complaints lodged by residents who have been unhappy with an ongoing water pipe repair project.
Due to systemic problems with the copper piping in the 25-year-old complex, found after a series of leaks and floods last year, Heritage Pointe chose to repipe the entire facility. The project was due to begin in March, according to materials sent to residents. That is when resident complaints began to trickle in.
“We stubbed our toes a bit early on,” Miller said. “I don’t think management or our contractors did a good enough job communicating to residents what the program was.”
The plan, which is already in progress, is to install a new system in parallel to the original system, to perform as much work as possible before starting necessary shutoffs to switch water systems over.
During that time, Miller said, while a resident’s unit is worked on, they will be able to stay in furnished “hospitality units.” Miller projects that the entire project will be completed by September, with the current building finishing in 30 to 60 days.
Two residents of the complex joined Miller, giving their positive views of Heritage Pointe’s efforts, a contrast to the collection of unhappy residents, led by District 4 councilman Steve Sammarco, that attended the last school board meeting.
“While it’s not been tremendously pleasant, I’ve been minimally inconvenienced,” said Evelyn Sorentino. “There’s been nothing that’s really made me feel like I was being intruded upon. Given the boiler problems and hot water problems that have gone on for years, to know it’s going to be fixed is terrific.”
Last week, board president Anita Avrick and member Brad Serkin took a chance to step into Heritage Pointe and walk the property on short notice. “There was no way for it to be fixed for us or changed in that amount of time,” Avrick said. “I don’t see where the complaints were founded from [last meeting].”
Serkin concurred. “The most disturbing thing, in conversation with folks there, was the level of impoliteness that has come from other residents” toward those who are not opposed to the remodel.
“I meet with a lot of people in a lot of different situations, and often the first response with a problem is deny, deny deny,” said Superintendent Steven Keller. “I met with Heritage Pointe management and there was complete ownership from the beginning…they owned some of the miscommunications, and their team is open to appropriate accommodations to make lives better.”
Miller indicated that he’d be “happy to keep an open dialogue” with the board as the project progressed. ER
