Tenants of a King William Street apartment building rally for repairs

Tenants of a downtown Hamilton apartment building are hoping a Friday rally will prompt action on a series of problems that they say have been ignored for far too long.

There are complaints that the nine-storey building located at 315 King William St. needs numerous repairs and that it has endured plunging temperatures, a number of fires and a failing fire alarm system.

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Mike Wood, the chairperson of the Hamilton Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), says problems are also visible from outside.

“The concrete walls are falling apart on the outside and the rebar that enforces the wall is exposed,” he said.

He added, “They’ve known about this for a long time.”

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Wood says the superintendent and property management company, Effort Trust, have been little help with the growing number of repair requests.

“There have been tenants that have had to fill out four, five [maintenance forms] in a five-month period,” he said.

Wood says city inspectors have also visited the building to investigate, but he says those visits haven’t resulted in any substantial changes.

Tenants are now coming together to highlight their concerns through a letter addressed to the CEO of Effort Trust.

In an emailed statement, Effort Trust director of property operations, Ivan Murgic, said the company is working with a few residents in response to the concerns they have raised.

A meeting has been held with two residents, in particular, he says, noting they “came to a mutual agreement on a strategy to ensure that any remaining issues are identified and addressed promptly.”

The statement goes on to say “these residents are valued customers, and we sincerely appreciate their feedback.”