City Council members pressed for answers on why Leland House tenants have not been able to recover personal items from the building since it was vacated last December.
Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett Jr. said a blown transformer that knocked out power and triggered the evacuation of Leland House must be fixed before anyone can safely be allowed to enter. The building’s owner has since declared bankruptcy, complicating the situation.
Mallett said the city is exploring options to cover the cost of restoring power to the building and arranging escorts, moving assistance and insurance for the retrieval of personal property that tenants were forced to abandon. A federal judge set a Feb. 24 deadline for the city, building owners and tenants’ representatives to create a plan for retrieving belongings…