With buildings more than 30 years old, Community Parks Apartments are not free of maintenance problems and other issues.
But a top management official said that doesn’t mean tenants are victims of inattention.
Scott Russell, president of the Jackson-area-based Alpha Management Corp., which serves as the managing agent for the apartment complex, told the Enterprise-Journal on Wednesday he believed the apartments are better off than they have recently been characterized, adding that he was sad to see the complex used as a political tool.
“I wanted to give a more accurate representation about Community Parks: We’re proud of that property,” Russell said, “And we want to continue to see it do well. … We’re trying to run it to the best of our ability and thought we were doing a pretty good job at it, trying to give some of the tenants down there pride in where they are living. We can’t make 100 percent of the people happy all the time, but we do the best we can.”
The complex’s struggles to provide quality Section 8 housing for low-income residents first gained attention in January after disparaging comments by McComb Mayor Zach Patterson. He specifically criticized David Myers for running “slum” apartments.
Myers, a selectman and state representative, is also the property’s manager under Russell. The property is owned by Community Parks Inc., which Russell said is based in Arkansas.
A walk through Gillis Circle on Monday, where Community Parks’ 120 apartments are located, revealed a variety of concerns among residents, ranging from overdue maintenance to a lack of playground equipment for children.
Some residents blamed Myers, who has been manager for about 2½ years. Others, questioning why the mayor hadn’t visited, said Myers has helped improve conditions, and in one case, even personally mopped and vacuumed stagnant water after heavy rains backed up sewer pipes.
Russell praised Myers’ job performance, saying there had been “ongoing improvement,” such as the installation of new cabinets in a majority of apartments, replacement of staircases and resurfacing of parking and driving areas. He said the simple dilemma was efficiently using limited resources, such as having only two maintenance workers for the entire property.
“David’s done a really good job out there,” Russell said. “It’s a hard job.”
Russell added that much of what he’d like to see done at the complex was slowed by funding concerns related to rising insurance and utility costs, but that additional upgrades over the next two years, to include window replacement and central air conditioning installation, are already planned.
He cited a decision to avoid armed security guards as an example of where a thin pocketbook could force tough decisions.
“We would like to be able to put some armed security out there, but … it almost doubles the insurance,” Russell said. “I don’t know that it’s a need.”
Russell said there were two security guards who rotated shifts that included a night watch, and that providing armed security would make the complex “worse off” by taking away money that could be spent on other improvements.
He also said the water bill for the property has risen by about $3,000 per month compared to a couple of years ago, but property income remained fixed based on federal subsidies.
“With older properties like that you get to the point where some things can be fixed but other times they need to be replaced, and in order to do that you need capital,” Russell said. “We have to do everything from what we get on a month-to-month basis financially. We had a lot better cash flow out there before energy costs skyrocketed on us.”
Russell reiterated his objection to the notion that managers were disinterested.
“I like what’s going on down there and we’re going to continue to try to make improvements as we can,” he said. “It’s not by any means that we’re sitting there doing nothing.”
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Meanwhile, discussing the property after a city board meeting Tuesday, Myers said that playground equipment removed about two years ago was taken out because it had become a safety hazard due to old age. He said small playground equipment could be installed for younger children, but that older children would have to decide for themselves to stay out of the street.
“We’ve tried to encourage them to go to the MLK Complex,” Myers said. “They don’t have to play in the road but they do.”
Myers also pointed to the age of the complex as a challenge for maintenance workers.
“My job is to do what I can do with the resources we have,” Myers said.
