Superior Mayor Meets With Royalton Manor Residents Over Health, Safety Concerns
Residents of the subsidized apartment building look to City and new ownership to fix issues, including fires
SUPERIOR, Wis. — Residents of Royalton Manor in Superior met with Mayor Jim Paine on Thursday evening to discuss the future of the subsidized apartment building.
“People, this is their home,” said resident Carla Blair. “And I feel like nobody would live in a home with dripping pipes, mold, nasty carpets. I mean if that was your home, would you want to live there? You’d probably improve it and I just think we need a little improvement.”
Multiple residents mentioned concerns over the four fires in the building since December, as well as a lack of security that may have led to them. Resident Debbie Roach says she wants new doors, security cameras, and on-site staff.
“More security, that’s a biggie with these fires,” Roach said. “Cause the last fire, I opened my door to a black wall of smoke and I’ve never been so scared in my whole life.”
“I live on third floor and we had four fires and I could not evacuate the building because we could not use the elevators,” added resident Alan P. Nelson. “One elevator was broken, out of order and the other one you don’t know if it’s gonna work or not.”
Tenants also voiced concerns over the safety and maintenance of Royalton Manor. Nelson says he has to keep his window open because of what he calls poor air quality. He also worries about the lack of carpet padding, as he’s a fall risk. Mayor Jim Paine met with residents to discuss these concerns, as well as those surrounding the upcoming change in ownership.
“In this case, this is subsidized housing for some of the most vulnerable people living in Superior,” Paine said. “I’m committed to making sure that we fund solutions, make sure that everybody that is living here has a safe and stable place to live, and if there is any kind of transition that has to happen for any individual, the City is going to play a significant role, including financially, in making sure that everybody has access to housing that’s currently living here, while also investing in more housing in this city. Because at the end of the day, the only way you improve housing and make it more affordable is to create more housing.”
At the meeting, residents spoke to Mayor Jim Paine about the role they’d like the city to play and the importance of getting DTA bus service back to the area. Blair said it’s hard for her and her neighbors to get to the doctor’s office and other appointments. She added she hopes the changes going forward are for the better.
