Troy leaders want to hear testimony in the investigation into the apartment complex
TROY — After issuing a new round of subpoenas, the City Council plans to hold its first hearing Thursday night at City Hall to hear testimony about the safety situation at the Harbor Point Gardens apartment complex.
A state Supreme Court judge threw out the first subpoenas in August for not meeting legal guidelines. The council issued the orders to 182 Delaware LLC and some of its employees as part of its investigation into what led to the city-ordered partial evacuation of the South Troy apartment complex.
The first round of certifications is expected to include the complex’s office manager and two tenants, City Council President Carmella Mantello said. She said there will be several hearings.
“We’re going to split them up. We can’t go on seven or eight hours,” Mantello said Monday of the potential length of one hearing.
A public announcement on the City Council’s website indicates that Thursday’s public hearing, which will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council’s Legislative Chamber on the fifth floor of City Hall at 433 River Street, will be the third on matters related to ” Unsafe building conditions at the Harbor Point Gardens residential complex necessitated the emergency evacuation of more than 50 apartments.
Mantello said the only thing that would prevent the 182 Delaware employees from testifying is for the company to go back to court to again seek to quash the subpoenas. The company’s attorney could not be reached Monday afternoon to discuss any pending court action. The company has not filed any new legal papers, according to the Rensselaer County Clerk’s Office database.
Mayor Patrick Madden’s administration has not posted an update on the city’s website about the situation at the apartments since Aug. 10.
The city ruled in late June that some apartments were uninhabitable and ordered them evacuated. The city has since confirmed when the repairs will be completed and has allowed some tenants to return.
Mantello said no hearings have been scheduled yet. The City Council president said she should consult with Councilwoman Sue Steele, D-Troy, who leads the Democratic majority on the council.
Going forward, the hearings will be held as the mayoral race between Mantello, the Republican nominee, and Rensselaer County Legislator Nina Nichols, the Democratic nominee, accelerates. They are running to succeed Madden, who is serving his second four-year term and cannot run again because of term limits.
