GARDNER, Kan. — Two weeks ago, residents at the Aspen Place Apartment complex in Gardner, Kan., found out they had to move out of their apartments.
They had only 48 hours to leave after the city declared the complex unfit to live in.
Neighbors told KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva Wednesday the complex was once filled with kids, neighbors, and many friends.
But now, its empty and “like a ghost town.”
“Silence," said Bryce Bradford, who lived in the complex for more than three years. "All you hear is all these birds. You could literally hear children and everyone playing. We had cookouts out here.”
While some former residents were able to find a new place to live, Bradford and others are still trying to figure out what comes next.
He lived at Aspen Place with his wife and three-year-old child. The couple dreamed of having their second baby grow up there.
“I was so excited to have another nursery set up, and to have that ripped away, it hurts my soul,” Bradford said.
The room that was almost finished is now packed in a storage unit.
“It feels like you're living in a storm,” Bradford said.
Bradford, his wife, and their child are living with his in-laws.
“I constantly feel like I'm not doing enough," Bradford said, struggling to hold back tears. "I want my kids to be happy.”
LaShonda Wallace, who lived near Bradford, said she felt like a failure.
Wallace has lived in hotel rooms and in her car since she moved out.
“It's not fun being homeless," Wallace said. "It's not the greatest feeling in the world.”
Her kids didn't go with her because she didn’t want to put them “in that position.”
Wallace spent the last two weeks looking for a permanent place to live and to get her family back.
It was a hard search as apartment complexes refused to rent to her.
She could breath a sigh of relief Wednesday as she found a new apartment in Olathe.
“It feels good to be able to have a place to call my home again,” Wallace said.
She hopes her former neighbors will be able to have the same feeling as they work to make plans for better days ahead.
“Well, I'm definitely going to let her plan out where we're going to put the nursery in the new place,” Bradford said.
Bradford and Wallace are currently not a part of the lawsuit being filed against the owners of the complex.
Two sides of the lawsuit
KSHB 41 reached out to Bell Law LLC, which has filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of the residents of Aspen Place Apartments.
Bryce Bell, with the firm, said the action targets the ownership and management entities of Aspen Place who the suit claims, "failed to maintain a habitable living environment, specifically regarding a severely deficient plumbing and water system.”
“We are absolutely committed to helping these Kansas residents secure fair housing and believe this lawsuit is a critical step toward achieving a just resolution for everyone affected,” Bell wrote in a statement sent to KSHB 41.
KSHB 41 also reached out to the Aspen Place Apartments owner’s lawyer, Jeffrey Zimmerman.
He called the lawsuit a “distraction.”
Zimmerman says plans to replace the water system have been finalized, filed and are under review by the Johnson County Airport Commission.
He said his clients have allocated the $1.2 million required to complete the replacement of the water system.
He also said all of the refund checks for May rent and the security deposits have been issued.
“Some of the checks have not been picked up by the tenants yet, as it is hard to track their current whereabouts," Zimmerman wrote in a statement. "We are working with Kansas Legal Services to get the checks to any tenants they represent who have not yet picked up their checks. That issue stated in the suit will be a moot point. We are striving to do what we can to help the tenants.”
KSHB 41 reached out to Axiom Property Management, LLC, also named in the lawsuit, but did not get a response.
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KSHB 41 reporter Fe Silva covers education stories involving K-12. Share your story idea with Fe.
