Deplorable Conditions

I have always been interested in the wasteful way our town is allowed to be run. The Aldermen and Mayors have so far proven that they are more than willing to waste taxpayers' money by not taking care of certain situations, unnecessary lawsuits against certain private citizens, the mismanagement of the budget, as well as all sorts of feasibility and gap studies that were done with little having been accomplished in the process.
Well, here is a situation that should be of interest to those of us who care how others in our community live. Certain people in our community own various apartment complexes and buildings. This gives them a certain responsibility to take care of these places and make sure that the people who live in them have safe and sanitary conditions. Unfortunately, I have explored one of these buildings thoroughly and what I discovered was very shocking. I have driven to Pheasant Roost Apartments on Route 20 and have found the conditions there to be deplorable. There are broken pieces of plaster and holes in the ceiling and walls. The carpets are so stained and threadbare that I didn't even want to step on them. They should have been replaced years ago. All the wood trim around the doors and windows was cracked, with peeling paint. There were cracks and splinters around the doorknobs. The smell was truly horrible and dirt was apparent everywhere I looked. One hallway even had garbage scattered all around the floor. It seemed obvious to me that the owner of the building does not hire a cleaning crew or if he does, they seldom visit the building. The laundry room was one of the worst I have seen in an apartment complex anywhere. Two of the doors to the washing machines stood open. I was unable to shut them, leading me to believe the latches were broken. It didn't look like anyone had changed or tested the fire extinguisher in ages, there was even dirt on the bottom. The expiration sticker was nowhere to be found. Graffiti was written all over the walls and door. I noticed that while the police are immediately called when a little crown is spotted on a wall outside the library, and the evidence is instantly washed away, no one has cleaned up any of the graffiti in this particular building. The apartments themselves are in such bad shape, many of them should not even be occupied. Toilets leak, roaches run rampant all over the floor, the carpeting is torn and stained, the walls are cracked, some bathrooms even have whole walls black with mold. I could go on and on with this list, but I think the pictures provide a better explanation and others who read this could do what I have done, walk or drive over to Pheasant Roost and take a look for themselves.Why is this allowed to go on? Why has no one called a building inspector on this owner and reported him? How can he get away with having people live in such deplorable conditions?Well, the answer seems to reside in who the person who owns this complex is. His name is William Orado and he is friends with Dorothy Otis, who owns similar apartments and complexes in the Marengo area. I am betting that having an alderman as a friend is very helpful and Mr.Orado need not put any money into the buildings he owns, as he is obviously able to get away without doing so.The final question I can see people asking after reading this is: why should we care? After all, some might say only Hispanic people live in these buildings and that they are not concerned for their well being. My answer to that is that first of all, I saw at least two white families. Second, we are all people and are all human. If we see other human beings left to live in such conditions, it is a concern for us all. There is a phrase "but for the will of God, there go I" and I think it is very accurate here. We are lucky not to be in a situation where we have nowhere to live and are forced to live in subsidized housing. Now, I have seen a lot of subsidized housing and I have yet to see any in such a shape as this. This building is not fit for human beings to live in and it is something we should all care about and work toward changing. I suggest one of the ways to do so is to ask Dorothy Otis in the next Council meeting why this is allowed to go on.