TOLEDO, Ohio — The Ashland Manor apartment complex is continuing to improve after the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department declared it a nuisance property in early January.
Toledo City Council member Vanice, who represents the district that the central Toledo apartment complex is located in, told WTOL 11 that the building now has a security guard and a property manager. Residents had expressed security concerns to WTOL 11, including a bullet hole in the front door from a December homicide.
Williams said the basement is also cleaned up and the city is waiting on a capital needs assessment from the building owners about what the issues are and how much improvement will cost.
Other health and safety issues, like excessive trash and pests, were cleaned up within the three-day deadline TLCHD mandated after the city hired contractors.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is expected to check on Ashland Manor's progress in the near future.
Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz visited HUD in Washington last week to discuss problem rental properties that receive federal subsidies in the city, namely Ashland Manor.
He told WTOL 11 that he believes housing issues in the Glass City have the attention of federal officials, but pinpointing how the central Toledo apartment complex reached that level of deplorability is an issue that continues to be addressed.
The mayor also said HUD committed to monitoring Ashland Manor more closely and proposed a task force of city, county and state-level officials to do the same for problem rental properties.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown's office confirmed to WTOL 11 that representatives were in Toledo on Friday to discuss conditions at Ashland Manor and the similarly-troubled Covenant House with others from the housing task force.
"Without going into detail, there were productive discussions to address the dangerous living conditions at both of these facilities," Brown's office said in a statement.
Williams too said she plans to keep checking in on Ashland Manor to ensure conditions stay healthy and livable.
"As long as I'm in office, I will definitely make sure that I follow up consistently to make sure people are taken care of," she said.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include information from U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown's office.