OLATHE, Kan. — On Tuesday, May 6, the city of Gardner condemned the Aspen Place Apartments due to safety and health hazards, giving residents 48 hours to move out.
Hazards included issues with water, sewer and road systems.
Chasidy Rios has lived at the complex for the past two years. She said there were "a lot of water main breaks" over the past year, noting an incident she heard about with a responding fire engine last weekend.
"That’s when I was like, 'Yeah, this is a problem,'" Rios said.
A resident sent KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig the below picture of a stuck fire truck as it responded to Aspen Place Apartments last weekend.
In a statement, the attorney group representing Aspen Place mentioned the incident.
"It appears that this action by the City was precipitated by an incident on Saturday where a fire truck responding to an emergency call got stuck on one of the access roads," the statement said in part.
Rios said she understands the reasoning behind the condemnation.
"I feel like they should have handled this sooner, not giving us 48 hours," she said. "In 48 hours, you can't pack up your entire life."
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But that's what Rios had to do.
“It was just a mad dash," she said. "Just throw things in boxes, throw things in bags. Don’t know what you’re taking, just grab the important things, leave the rest, and these four are the important things.”
The four things Rios was referring to are her four children, ranging from ages 2 to 8. Her 4-year-old son, Case, is diagnosed with autism.
"Obviously, like my son, it's really hard with him, and he has sensory issues and he's used to his space," Rios said.
Rios usually wakes up to her kids running into her bedroom on Mother's Day. This year, she woke up beside her four children in a hotel room.
"I'm used to being in my setting and being able to cook and being able to be a mom, and I feel like here, I'm kind of limited," she said.
The family has been living in the hotel since Thursday, and Kansas Legal Services is paying for the room until Tuesday, Rios said.
Rios said her rent for the month of May was refunded to her, but she's waiting to see if she'll get her security deposit back.
“How do you have time to clean and do all of these things when you’re trying to move?" she said.
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Rios said she would like to keep her family in Gardner, but it's hard to find a three-bedroom residence on such short notice.
"At this point, it's wherever we can lay our heads," she said. "If I have to travel for work, then that's fine."
Rios said there is one silver lining to the situation — the Gardner community.
"Seeing how much the people stepped up for us that were there struggling, that was nice," she said.
This Mother's Day, Rios' daughter appreciates that about her mom, too.
"If you're hurt, she'll always help you up," Rios' daughter said.
The Rios family has created a GoFundMe to assist in the search for a new home.
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KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
