36 replies to this topic

[Deb aka Resume Lady]

The article I saw said the apartment had been trying to get the necessary permits to repair the stairs.


-Robert

 

What does "try" mean? Did they actually apply for permits? If so, when?

 

If the complex management knew there were dangers with the stairs, they were obligated to shore them all up, block them off, or evalucate all upstairs tenants from the premises until such time as the stairs could be repaired/rebuilt.

[ducky]

 

What does "try" mean? Did they actually apply for permits? If so, when?

 

If the complex management knew there were dangers with the stairs, they were obligated to shore them all up, block them off, or evacuate all upstairs tenants from the premises until such time as the stairs could be repaired/rebuilt.

 

There was one news story that said a permit was pulled June 16 THIS year.  That doesn't really seem reasonable since they already had a collapse LAST year.

 

Everything you list seems like the reasonable thing to do.  I can't understand why it wasn't done as soon as they knew they had problems.  I'm thinking these large companies that own a multitude of apartment complexes have their own bureaucracy to get things fixed.

 

Now they are telling people to only go up staircases one at a time, to hold onto stair rails, and don't carry anything heavy when going up the stairs.  Might as well throw in, "learn parkour." 

This never should have happened.

[4thgenFolsomite]

Now they are telling people to only go up staircases one at a time, to hold onto stair rails, and don't carry anything heavy when going up the stairs.  Might as well throw in, "learn parkour." 

This never should have happened.

 

WHAT?!  If someone told me that, there is no way I would go up those stairs! Or let anyone I care about use them either.  Thats like saying only 1 car over the bridge at a time.  Sounds like russian roulette.

[Deb aka Resume Lady]

 

There was one news story that said a permit was pulled June 16 THIS year.  That doesn't really seem reasonable since they already had a collapse LAST year. Exactly, it happened last May!

 

Everything you list seems like the reasonable thing to do.  I can't understand why it wasn't done as soon as they knew they had problems.  I'm thinking these large companies that own a multitude of apartment complexes have their own bureaucracy to get things fixed. Too bad they weren't proactive to somehow shore the stairs up while their bureaucracy ran its course.

 

Now they are telling people to only go up staircases one at a time, to hold onto stair rails, and don't carry anything heavy when going up the stairs.  Might as well throw in, "learn parkour." 

This never should have happened. Outrageous. Inexcusable.

[Deanna H]

I'd like to know why the building department, or whatever department is responsible, hasn't stepped in to condemn them. 

[Robert Gary]

Must not have found it necessary. The Bee article said the fire department end the city engineers were inspecting them. If they thought they were still an issue I'm sure they've have closed them. The article also said the appartment was offering to reimburse temporary housing for those who didn't want to stay.

[ducky]

I guess the question is, how often do they inspect those types of outdoor staircases/balconies?  How many other apartment complexes built in the same time frame  might have the same type of problems?

 

I personally have never liked climbing those types of cement stairs myself.

[Robert Gary]

I guess the question is, how often do they inspect those types of outdoor staircases/balconies?  How many other apartment complexes built in the same time frame  might have the same type of problems?

 

I personally have never liked climbing those types of cement stairs myself.

 

I'm not sure inspection was the issue; they were aware they were failing and had filed permit applications with the city to fix it. It sounds like they needed to speed things up a bit. But they knew the problem was there and were working to fix it. Apparently several others stairs had already been repaired.

 

-Robert

[ducky]

 

I'm not sure inspection was the issue; they were aware they were failing and had filed permit applications with the city to fix it. It sounds like they needed to speed things up a bit. But they knew the problem was there and were working to fix it. Apparently several others stairs had already been repaired.

 

-Robert

 

They supposedly filed permit applications on June 16, coincidentally, the same day as the Berkeley balcony collapse incident.  If "repairs" were done before then, who inspected those repairs?  How do we know the stairway that collapsed hadn't already been deemed "repaired"?  It wasn't propped up like the others.

 

Inspection was an issue if the stairway that collapsed wasn't on the top of the list for repairs.

 

I wish I could find a still image of the bolts on the collapsed stairway I saw on a news reel.  I would have expected to see larger bolts for such heavy stairs.  Also, wouldn't the bolts have some hardware to secure them on the end?

[Deb aka Resume Lady]

I wish I could find a still image of the bolts on the collapsed stairway I saw on a news reel.  I would have expected to see larger bolts for such heavy stairs.  Also, wouldn't the bolts have some hardware to secure them on the end?

 

The image shown on the news displays wood rot. The wood wasn't sealed properly, large bolts or not.

[ducky]

 

The image shown on the news displays wood rot. The wood wasn't sealed properly, large bolts or not.

 

Very true and it's pretty evident on the photos.  I'm just wondering how the prior fixes were accomplished.  Did they replace rotted wood or did they just throw in a few more bolts until they hit good wood without fixing the reason for the water infiltration?  These are things that would concern me if I were a resident there. 

 

Edit:  Just read an article where a resident said that the ones that were repaired had the wood taken out and were replaced with metal.

[Deb aka Resume Lady]

 

Very true and it's pretty evident on the photos.  I'm just wondering how the prior fixes were accomplished.  Did they replace rotted wood or did they just throw in a few more bolts until they hit good wood without fixing the reason for the water infiltration?  These are things that would concern me if I were a resident there. 

 

There are  lots of things that would concern me if I were a resident there.

[The Average Joe]

I have been to at least 50 different apt complexes as a vendor and I have seen many railings and staircases that were questionable. I usually let the complex know. SOme are very responsive, others, not so much. 

 

While the complex is rightly liable, I also think it's important for individuals to take some responsibility to assess their surroundings for potential hazards.

[nomad]

While the complex is rightly liable, I also think it's important for individuals to take some responsibility to assess their surroundings for potential hazards.

 

By doing what? Inspecting the place for dry rot and loose screws before walking up a flight of stairs? Then what? That's what all the nanny govt here in Ca is for I thought?

 

And BTW the guy didn't even live there from what I have read. You'd think that a 15 year old complex in Folsom would be safe enough to visit without having to "assess your surroundings for potential hazards" before going up a staircase in the hopes that a lone Chinese guy wouldn't bring the place crashing down.

[The Average Joe]

I don't imagine anyplace is safe just because it "should be." Just different philosophy I guess. I notice things like that. I most often overthink potential scenarios I would imagine. Still, I don't think it's a bad thing to notice when an elevator behaves oddly, or a stair tread is loose, or there is a blind corner, or there is an odd feel to your vehicle, etc.