Condemned: Residents given 48 hours to move out of Johnson County apartments

GARDNER, Kan. (KCTV) - Dozens of families spent the day moving out of a condemned apartment complex in Gardner.

The city declared all apartments at Aspen Place “unfit for habitation” because of safety issues. People who call the complex home have to be out of the apartments by Wednesday evening.

The water system and lack of access for emergency responders are the biggest concerns because they pose risks to public safety.

A city spokesperson said the water system is 70 years old and deteriorated. The sprinkler system doesn’t have enough water to run effectively if there is a fire in the building. There are also concerns over the condition of the roads on the property. The city said they are so bad that emergency vehicles cannot easily access the buildings.

Gardner leaders provided the following orders for residents:

• Vacate apartments within 48 hours of receiving notice
• Starting Thursday residents can only access apartments during daylight
• No one allowed to remain in an apartment after dark starting Thursday

City leaders said lists with available help have been given to residents. They are also being told to review their renter’s insurance and see if help is available at this time.

“The city understands the hardship this causes and does not make this decision lightly,” City Administrator Jim Pruetting said. “However, continuing to allow residents to live in these conditions would be unsafe and irresponsible.”

Dylan Kirby says he was at work, on the phone with his fiancé when she heard a knock at the door. It was police putting up the notices to vacate the premise by Thursday. The papers were put up on every front door.

“My first reaction was panic,” said Kirby. “Someone says you have 48 hours to get all your stuff out of your house and find somewhere else to go. I mean, it’s not very realistic. Can’t just pack up your whole life and find somewhere else to go in 48 hours.”

Other residents that spoke to KCTV5 said the notices were posted while they were at work and they found out what was happening through social media, causing several to rush back home.

Kirby says they recently re-signed another lease, but they began noticing problems halfway through their first lease.

“A first it was kind of like well, every place has problems every now and again, but it was reoccurring,” said Kirby. “It’s hard to not get upset and disappointed at the complex. They say they will fix something and then it doesn’t happen or they will say they fixed something and it wouldn’t be fixed properly, so it would break within the next couple of days.”

He lives just a few buildings from a massive hole in the road that’s not been blocked off after a fire truck got stuck. Several residents say that problem was what pushed the City of Gardner to condemn the complex. They all say they knew it would happen eventually, they just didn’t think they would have so little time to find a new place.

“We’re going to have to move to her mother’s house for now,” said Kirby. “We have a place that we are looking at later this week to see if we can move into it. It’s pretty stressful and it’s not ideal, but hopefully everything will go as planned.”

While Kirby and his fiancé have a place they can stay, several who spoke with KCTV 5 didn’t.

“Me and my two dogs, we could be homeless,” said Cristy Mueller. “We could be living out of our car because I have no family here that could help us currently. We have nowhere to go.”

Several residents spoke on the band-aid fixes the complex would do instead of fixing the issues. Candice Walker lived here for the last year. She says the building she lived in was condemned around a month ago.

“It’s a sad situation here,” said Walker. “A lot of us don’t have nowhere to go. After paying rent, there ain’t nothing left. I’m on disability. I’m blind. They said they had handicapped accessible apartments; no they don’t. This has been a nightmare.”

Inside the apartments, residents turned on faucets to show little or no water came out. They said the complex put up porta potties next to the dumpsters to allow people to go to the bathroom.

Now moving trucks, trailers, and cars line the roads. Through social media, the community spread the word and several came out with moving boxes and plastic bins to help people pack their belongings. They also handed out food, water, and more to residents at the complex.

“We’re just doing our part to help our neighbors,” said one volunteer.

Residents with questions about this decision are asked to contact the city’s hotline at (913) 884-2700.

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