July 17, 2006-Castle Burke residents will receive visits from the Department of Housing, Parks and Recreation in the next two weeks to confer on agreed upon repairs.
Residents have been given a number to call if they fail to show up in two weeks.
Paul "General" Payne, president of Castle Burke Housing Community homeowners association, has been pushing the government to compensate homeowners who had been sold damaged homes.
Payne and Donna Pickard, vice president, seek to address an ongoing problem with the initial construction of the homes.
On May 17, Payne and Pickard's work was rewarded and a Settlement Agreement and Release form was hand-delivered to each of the 117 homeowners, stating that the General Engineering Contractor (GEC) will pay up.
It was reported back in 2005 that Castle Burke residents had been facing issues with water damage since they moved in. In 2006, a resident said her entire window had fallen out of its slot because of water damage.
So, the GEC has agreed to supply over 1,000 square feet of ceramic floor tiles to the owners who have not taken it upon themselves to redo their floors.
Along with the tiles, homeowners will be paid for the cost of labor. For those residents who have already had their floors fixed, the lost money will be reimbursed to them.
The settlement also states that GEC will install back and front screen doors as well as caulk all windows, walls and floor junctions that are allowing moisture in. Again, any resident who has already taken care of their lack of screen doors will be reimbursed.
St. Claire N. Williams, assistant commissioner of Housing, and John Wessel of the GEC require that all work be performed under the scrutiny of an independent inspector to assure compliance with quality standards.
"I am happy that we are getting what they are giving to us and I think that without the help of 'the General' we wouldn't get anything," said one resident who moved into the development seven years ago. She said she started noticing the curling tiles after months of moving in, but she is still grateful for being able to purchase a home.
Another resident implied that she was really upset that the government took such little pride in the job. "They did the homes in a hurry and for as little money as possible," she said, noting that her problems began the first day she moved in six years ago. She said she has to be careful how fast she turns on her light switches in fear that it might blow the bulb.
One elderly man said simply, "I'll do it myself; just give me the tiles."
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