200 Lyndhurst seniors remain displaced nearly 3 months after apartment fire

LYNDHURST, Ohio - A large group of Lyndhurst seniors have been living out of a suitcase for nearly three months, after a fire struck their apartment complex in late March.

Many of the residents who call the Sherri Park Apartments "home" are wondering when they will finally be able to return to their units.

"We've had so many different dates, we don't know when we're going to get back," said Sherri Park resident Betty Hersch. "We were told June 15, then June 18, then June 28. Now nobody knows."

The fire started at the complex after a landscaping company hit a gas line just outside the building. Fortunately, there were no injuries, but residents have been forced to live in temporary accommodations at the Homewood Suites Hilton in Beachwood for 11 weeks.

"Living here has been wonderful, but it's not home," said Hersch. "Let's get things going and get it done already, I mean, we want to get in."

Seniors who contacted NewsChannel5 pointed to delays by Sherri Park Management in getting the building ready for occupancy.

Lyndhurst Mayor Joseph Cicero told NewsChannel5 the situation is out of the cities hands. "We're not holding things up," said Mayor Cicero. "Last week we found some issues with the fire suppression system, we won't issue an occupancy permit until we're sure the building is safe."

Mayor Cicero believes delays in building repairs have been caused by insurance and legal issues surrounding the fire.

"This is between, the gas company, the contractors and apartment management," said Mayor Cicero. "There's a boat load of lawyers on either side."

Meanwhile, seniors like Las Checel, continue to live with few belongings, while the City of Lyndhurst, and Sherri Park Apartments Management, try to get the building ready for tenants.

"It seems to be taking an awfully long time for a building where the damage was confined to a narrow portion of the structure," said Checel. "It gets old pretty fast when you're wearing the same clothes, washing them every week."

Wolfe Real Estate Management President Michael T. Holowaty issued the following statement in response to NewsChannel5's inquiry:

"The eastern half of the building which will be reoccupied by residents next week pending final inspections suffered significant smoke damage. All the suites were professionally cleaned, painted and re-carpeted. In addition, the lobby was completely gutted and rebuilt. A new fire alarm system was installed and utilities to the building needed to be restored."

"Getting the eastern half of the building operational to the point where residents will be reoccupying the suites wouldn't have been possible without the dedication and selfless efforts of our employees and contractors who worked seven days a week to get us to this point. In addition, the City of Lyndhurst and the Lyndhurst Fire Department were a great help to us during this time."

"The other half of the building suffered more extensive fire and smoke damage. The reconstruction of the suites and other structural repairs are very significant and it will take several months before that portion of the building will be reoccupied."

Les Checel and other displaced seniors can only hope their insurance coverage will hold-out, and keep them off the street.

"I would encourage them to do whatever it takes to get the building inspected and make it ready for occupancy, so people don't have this cloud hanging over their heads as to what their future holds," said Checel.

Stay with NewsChannel5 and newsnet5.com for the very latest information on this developing story.