Residents of Northview Gardens Apartments once again faced challenging living conditions when a water main burst on Jan. 9, leaving tenants without running water during a winter storm. This latest incident follows similar issues last summer, when a pipe burst and prompted widespread condemnation of the apartment complex’s living conditions.
During the summer crisis, Martinsville Mayor LC Jones and city officials intervened to expedite repairs and distribute bottled water to residents. This time, Jones, Council Member Rashawn Gravely, and Chris Lawless, president of Lawless Welding, stepped in to provide water and soup to affected tenants over the weekend.
“Friday in the snowstorm we were unloading water and handing them out to tenants,” said Lawless, who has been actively involved with local charities, including the community’s warming shelter.
Gravely worked with the Salvation Army to secure a hotel room for a family with a special needs child and coordinated with Ann’s Kitchen to distribute soup. “We couldn’t fix the problem, but we did what we could,” said Gravely.
Jones and Lawless partnered to address the immediate needs of the residents, visiting God’s Pit Crew in Danville to obtain additional water. “We basically just had a good community, we talked to one another. Those people don’t get a lot of attention, and they need it,” Lawless said.
Residents of the complex that is partially situated in both the city and the Collinsville District of Henry County, have long expressed concerns about living conditions, citing issues such as heating problems, mold, leaks, and difficulty contacting management. Some tenants reported boiling snow to meet basic needs during the recent outage.
“You can’t keep renting people places in Virginia and never doing anything for the people,” a resident told Star News.
According to Jones, the city was informed of abnormal spikes in water usage at the complex, prompting officials to cut water service to investigate and expedite repairs. As of Jan. 14, work on the pipes was ongoing, but Jones assured residents that service would be restored by lunch the following day.
Jones also announced that rent for January would be prorated to compensate tenants for the disruption.
One of the buildings in the apartment complex, located within the city limits, has been boarded up following a fire. Jones stated that inspectors will assess the structure to determine if it can be repaired. If the property owner is unable to meet code requirements, the building may face demolition, Jones said.
He added that Del. Eric Phillips has become involved in the situation, as the apartments receive government subsidies.
Gravely pledged continued efforts to address residents’ ongoing concerns, noting that while immediate relief was provided, long-term solutions are necessary.
