A Fort Worth municipal judge has given the owner of Manor Independent Living, a senior apartment building in the Las Vegas Trail neighborhood, 30 days to fix a list of code violations or start paying $1,000 a day.
Judge Claudia Martinez issued the order at a hearing Wednesday, the Fort Worth Report reported Friday. The owner of the building at 8000 Calmont Ave., Endeavor Group Real Estate, has until Nov. 27 to make the repairs.
A closer deadline came out during the same hearing. Water service to the building is scheduled to be cut off Nov. 18 because the bill has not been paid, according to testimony. The property's manager, Jolene Bañuelos, told the court the water bill topped $17,000.
She said she had not yet worked out a payment with the city or decided how much she could pay, but said she would make sure a payment went in and the water stayed on.
What code officers found
Code enforcement officer Larry Runnels testified to water leaks, fungus growing from hallway carpet, electrical hazards, an elevator out of service and holes in walls and ceilings.
Asked by the city's prosecutor whether he had seen significant progress, he said no. He did note fixes to the main entrance ceiling and the removal of trash that had piled up in empty units after garbage service stopped over unpaid bills.
The owner's attorney, Jourdan Wallace, acknowledged the property was "definitely in disarray" but called 30 days an unreasonable window for the work. She said the owners had only recently learned how much damage there was and were now on top of it after taking back management.
Bañuelos, who said she arrived at the end of September, testified that ceiling tiles had been replaced and a roof leak fixed.
