Macon apartment complex faces code violations, residents moved to hotels
Six apartment buildings in Miga Villa Apartments are now considered uninhabitable by the Macon-Bibb County Code Enforcement Department.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Six apartment buildings in Miga Villa Apartments on Bloomfield Drive are now considered uninhabitable by the Macon-Bibb County Code Enforcement Department.
County Manager Dr. Keith Moffett says he was notified last week about unsafe living conditions. The property owner is being cited for the violations and will be given time to fix the issues. Until then, the county is working to make sure residents are safe and have somewhere to stay.
“With our partners such as Macon-Bibb EOC, we’re working with what we call rapid re-housing,” Moffett said.”And so that organization is working with those tenants to relocate them.”
The complex has boarded up windows, broken glass and fire damage. Residents say problems range from plumbing to rats falling from the ceiling.
Three buildings on the property are still livable, according to Dr. Moffett. He says safety issues for the six other buildings include significant electrical problems.
“Some had been rewired,” he said. “Of course that can cause a fire. Improper grounding of those electrical conditions. They don’t have the safety features that a hair dryer or something could start in one unit and transfer to the whole building.”
Dr. Moffett says the county has not condemned the buildings, because it’s working to verify if the building can be repaired. The property owner will have 30 days to fix the problems before the issue goes to court.
“We’re just trying to be proactive to ensure life safety,” he said. “To make sure that all citizens are living in safe conditions and then work through our code enforcement to make sure the citizens are living in clean and sanitary conditions.”
According to Macon-Bibb County’s Communications Director, Chris Floore, the Economic Opportunity Council has helped relocate 37 people to hotels so far and expects at least eight more people to check in.
