Local state of emergency declared for Riverview Terrace apartments – The Daily Telegram

ADRIAN — A state of emergency has been declared for the Riverview Terrace apartment building in Adrian.
The local state of emergency was declared in response to the ongoing situation at the building at 400 College Ave., a news release issued Thursday morning by the city of Adrian said.
Earlier report:Kiwanis Riverview Terrace apartments in Adrian evacuated Monday due to structural issues
The “failure of a multi-story residential structure housing approximately 200 vulnerable individuals” on Monday displaced those tenants who are now “without shelter and other life necessities,” the declaration signed by Mayor Angie Sword Heath said.
The evacuation of the residents from the 12-story building, which has 163 units and is a community for people 62 or older and for the permanently disabled, was deemed a necessary precaution for the safety of all residents after a recently conducted inspection of the building found a crack in the third floor of the structure.
At the time the crack was found, representatives of the apartment building said they did not feel “it’s an imminent danger.” However, further testing and inspection of the building ruled the structure unsafe and it has since been condemned by the city.
Both short- and long-term housing solutions are being reviewed by the city and emergency management officials for the displaced residents of the apartment building. 
The city’s Emergency Operations Center and representatives of the apartment building have been working with local and Lenawee County agencies to find housing solutions for the residents who were required to evacuate from their homes Monday.
Craig Tanis, Lenawee County Emergency Management Coordinator, said an engineering firm is continuing its inspection and review of the building. More information, he said, should be available during a news conference at 9 a.m. Friday, July 29, at Comstock Park in Adrian.
“We still don’t really know anything about the remediation of the building and what’s that’s going to take,” he said. “The engineering firm is working on that. But I have no update on that, and hope to have more information for everybody at the press conference tomorrow morning.”
The Adrian fire, police and public works departments; Lenawee Transportation; Dial-A-Ride; and Lenawee County Emergency Management assisted with Monday’s evacuation, which began right before noon and was completed by about 3 p.m. Residents were moved from the apartments to the Piotter Center/Adrian Senior Center. Residents were either shuttled there or they had the option to request to be picked up by a family member or friend.
Residents and their family members are still able to check the building status daily by calling the Riverview Terrace update hotline at 269-249-6934. 
The most recent update from the hotline as of 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 27, said residents will be notified that the building cannot be occupied “for several months.” 
“All residents will be receiving a phone call for housing moving forward,” the update line said.
Residents’ needs are being assessed, the Wednesday release added, and a list of needs and a dropoff location for donations will be published to www.adriancity.com and to Adrian’s social media pages as soon as that information is available.
The Lenawee Community Foundation is accepting monetary donations on behalf of the city to directly assist residents. Donations can be made directly to the Lenawee Community Foundation via check or phone or at www.lenaweecommunityfoundation.com. When making donations through the website, select the special designation of “Riverview Terrace Response Fund.”
College Avenue and the adjacent sidewalk are closed until further notice from George to West Church streets, the release said.
“Please avoid the Riverview Terrace property for safety reasons,” a news release issued Wednesday by the city said.
Dial-A-Ride services will not be available Friday, July 29, to the general public due to Riverview Terrace resident transportation taking place that day, the release said.
Medallion Management Inc. of Kalamazoo is the property management service that operates the building, along with more than 50 other apartment and condominium communities, most of them in Michigan. 

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