Months after a fire displaced five families at the Tivoli Park Apartment complex, residents continue to express concerns about the building’s safety. Although the city of Albany lifted the “unsafe and unfit” designation after 40 days, following electrical updates, tenants claim they are not seeing the improvements they expected.
Christopher Francis, a tenant at Tivoli Park Apartments, questioned the thoroughness of the inspections, stating, “I don’t see how 40 days is a proper amount of time to go and inspect 200 units.” The Tivoli Park Tenant Union and the Albany Tenant Union have been actively engaging with residents to assess the progress and verify if inspections have been conducted. Bebhinn Francis, a tenant organizer with United Tenants of Albany, noted, “Many folks didn’t even know that the apartment was supposed to be inspected.”
Richard LaJoy, director of building and codes, stated, “The necessary permits were obtained, and all of the electrical systems have been assessed and made compliant. We have lifted the Unsafe/Unfit designation. We have not received any calls or complaints from any of the tenants.” However, Christopher Francis disagreed, asserting, “I’ve called. Two other confirmed tenants have called.”…