Three Months

It's been three months since the back stairs landing collapsed on September 29 and there's been some construction activity since the last update here, so this will address current status of the project.

On December 18th, a crew was on the property working and building permit and required code notices were posted prominently at the entrance to the property.

The good news is that the temporary stairs on the side of Building B and the back of Building A have been removed and construction of new stairs begun on Building B.  The bad news is that, as of this posting, and contrary to the stipulation from the Fire Marshall's notice posted, that has shut down two of the three stairs available for exiting the building now.

The video below documents that there is no exit possible from the top floor of either Building A or Building B without going to the front of the building and using the only stairs now open.  The first part of the video shows how long the hallway in A is, where there are 16 apartments, before you can get to the front of the building and the second part shows the shorter hallway leading to the side of B.

These two photos, both taken today, show that progress has been made constructing the new stairs on the side of Building B and that the temporary stairs are gone from the back of Building A.

Other good news is that there is now more lighting in the front of the building, where the bottom of the stairs was so dark (see October 18th post).

A couple of lights attached to the lumber used to bolster the front landing and stairs until they're replaced makes a lot of difference in being able to safely navigate the bottom couple of stairs. This is especially important, because in an emergency, these are now the only stairs available for those people living in 24 apartments (16 on the third floor of Building A and 8 on the second floor of Building B).

December Update

It's been two months since temporary stairs (posted for emergency use only) were erected to replace unsafe stairs on the side and back of the building and the front landing and stairs were reinforced to make them safe for use. There's been no communication from property management advising how long it will be before permanent stairs are built.  Last work on the stairs noted on October 17th. (Landing collapse occurred on September 29th.)

Progress at One Month

It's been one month since the September 29th collapse of a landing on the back stairs.  Old stairs have been torn down from the back of Building A and the side of Building B, and temporary stairs posted to be used for emergencies only have been erected in their stead.

(Photos here taken October 28th, all of the back of Building A.)

No construction activity has been noted on the property since October 17th and there have been no more notices from Urban Housing Solutions to residents since those of October 1 and 2 advising there would be temporary stairs erected and to not "overcrowd" balconies.  (See earlier posts.)  It remains unclear how long it will be before there's more than one exit to use for anything other than emergencies or if/when balcony repairs will begin.

Progress at Three Weeks

Not a lot is different this week, but there have been additional supports installed on the temporary stairs at the back of Building A and the side of Building B and the emergency exit lights and sign for the back door of Building A's third floor are uncovered again.  (All photos shot on October 17th.)

BACK OF BUILDING A

SIDE OF BUILDING B

FRONT

(Looking from front landing into hallway of top floor, Building B.)

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Back and Front Stairs - Update

The temporary stairs recently erected in back of Building A and on the side of Building B are posted with signs indicating they are to be used in emergency situations only.  I decided I wanted to experience exiting via the back stairs under ideal conditions (daylight, unhurried) to see what they're like before I might need to use them in an actual emergency.  This is video I shot earlier today going down those stairs.  The noises you hear are the steps creaking.

This evening, I also shot video of the only remaining stairs here that aren't temporary, in the front of the building.  The front stairs and the landing that connect Buildings A and B have been reinforced since the collapsed landing in back of almost three weeks ago, as evidenced by the wood beams in the still shots I've been posting.  The bottom half of the front stair case has always been inadequately lit, but it's worse now, because the newly installed beams are blocking some of the little light that is available.  You have to feel with your foot in the dark to find the bottom couple of stairs.

Two Weeks Later

It was two weeks ago this morning that a landing collapsed on the back stairs.  For the first time since then, there are stairs that can be used in case of an emergency at all three points where there were stairs before the collapse. Temporary stairs replace what were torn down on the back of Building A and the side of Building B. 

Temporary stairs in the back.

Side stairs, Building B.

Signs from Metro Codes Department indicating the stairs unsafe for use have been taken down and new signs indicating stairs can be used for emergencies have been put up.  Building A third floor emergency exit sign and lights still covered up, however.

From the third floor, Building A.

Photos shot Thursday and Friday document the temporary stairs going up and major reinforcement work done to front landing connecting buildings A and B.