Linda Gergely and dozens of others in Oliver have been living a condo owner’s worst nightmare for almost four years.
Sixty residents of the Park Place Complex were advised to vacate their homes in 2013.
It came following an engineering report that concluded damage that could’ve been caused by a minor earthquake compromised building safety.
What followed was a litany of insurance claims, engineering studies, and legal fees
“Frustrating, stressful, annoying, makes me angry, and it certainly has seriously hurt my bank account… the financial toll has been very very hard, not just on me but on everybody. I’m paying a mortgage while I’m paying rent, so that’s not fun,” said Linda Gergely, Park Place condo owner and strata council member.
But there is finally a break in the clouds.
On Saturday, strata owners voted to accept a restoration proposal from Penticton-based Greyback Construction.
“The entire room burst into spontaneous applause, and I think that kind of sets the tone for me, this is a happy thing, this is good news that we can get back in,” Gergely said.
At Park Place on McKinney Rd. caution tape currently blocks off access to the building and there is a sign that reads “private property no trespassing.”
It could all soon be gone as restoration could begin as early as February and residents could finally be able to move home in May.
Upgrades won’t take long because the contractor said the damage wasn’t as bad as initially thought.
“We actually found there wasn’t a lot of impact to the building structure … it was nowhere near as bad as I think they previously expected for the last few years,” said Matt Kenyon, General Manager of Greyback Construction.
The catch is residents are on the hook for the almost half-million dollar repair bill.
Strata owners will have to shell out an average of $12,000 dollars each.
The insurance company couldn’t verify the cause of damage and denied coverage.
Fellow condo owner and strata council member Stuart Syme said at the end of the day, residents are just eager to return.
“People are sleeping, they are feeling better, they are happier,” he said.
Park Place owners hope the restoration will also restore their faith in finally being able to put this nightmare behind them.
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