It appears the saga that began last July at “The Pointe” apartments in Plymouth will continue as Plymouth Building Inspector Dennis Manuwal approached the Board of Public Works and Safety Monday night on the latest attempt to get the building up to code and re-opened.
In July of 2024, Manuwal had given the owner 30 days for the resolution of the issues as part of his emergency order to vacate on July 29, 2024, due to roof and electrical issues that made the facility dangerous.
The owner of the property, Bob Richards, had been given 60 days to complete repairs, and Manuwal had imposed a $5000 fine when that did not occur.
For a second meeting, Anthony Collins, who has been overseeing the repairs, represented Richards in seeking to have the fine overturned and the facility re-opened. Manuwal told the board that work had been done on the property, but after inspecting the electrical work, stated that he did not have confidence that it was done properly since Collins admitted the work was “a little over his head”. He felt the circuitry still needed to be labeled properly by a certified electrician. He also said that some of the sprinkler heads in the fire suppression system were not replaced or were replaced improperly, and Collins himself stated that a pressure test still had to be done on the system.
While work was done, the overall work was not completed, and so no further action could be taken. It was decided that the implementation of the fine and further appearances before the Board should be deferred until the work was actually completed.
Discussion turned to the fine that had already been reduced to $2500 by the Board. Collins sought to have it overturned completely.
Councilman Don Ecker and Dave Morrow felt the fine needed to stay in place after the length of time it’s taken for the original order to be acted on. Mayor Robert Listenberger voted with Ecker and Morrow to impose the fine, breaking a tie vote. Duane Culp and Shiloh Milner voted against imposing the fine.
Collins pointed to the large amount of money and efforts that Richards has already put into the property and said that “he’s not made of money.” Richards has the option of appealing the Board ruling in court if he does not feel the fine is warranted.
Collins told the Board, “He’s not going to pay it.”
