44 displaced seniors in the City of Oakley could return back home this week after their building was red tagged Sunday.
A spokesman for the Oak Grove Senior Terrace Apartments issued a statement saying they hoped to have residents back home by late Tuesday or early Wednesday. The statement also says Management staff provided food, water and snacks to residents displaced by the incident, and had arranged hotel stays for all of them by 4 p.m. Sunday.
On Sunday at 11:35 am, an elevator rescue (turned out to be vacant) resulted in a building at The Oaks Apartments (otherwise known as Carol Lane Apartments to locals) to become red tagged when it was observed that water was running down a wall and to an electrical box—this was due to a clogged wastewater line and created an overflow into a vacant second floor apartment. PG&E as requested to shut off power to the building—the city of Oakley ultimately red-tagged the building.
The Oaks clarified Monday an inspection late Sunday found that water had never came into contact with the elevator’s control panel or electrical service.
It is unclear if the City of Oakley is as enthusiastic with the timeline as The Oaks but Oakley assistant City manager Danielle Navarro is optimistic residents could return this week.
“It may be possible and will depend on the management staff and people they hire to address the issue. The City will be ready to inspect and lift the red tag when the building is safe to occupy. There are many things outside of the City’s control in this situation,” explained Navarro.
Here is the statement released by The Oaks on Monday:
Update regarding Residents Relocated from Oak Grove Senior Terrace Apartments
We expect residents to be able to return to Oak Grove Senior Terrace Apartments by late Tuesday or early Wednesday, following an incident on Sunday that caused fire officials to turn off power to the building.
Forty-four (44) elderly households were relocated to three area hotels on Sunday evening after the Contra Costa Fire Department ordered power shut off to the apartment building over concern that water from a clogged wastewater line could penetrate the electrical panel for building’s elevator. The clog in a line on the first floor caused water to back up and overflow into a vacant second floor apartment located adjacent to the elevator shaft and above the elevator control room.
Contrary to initial reports, no one was ever trapped in the building’s elevator. In addition, an inspection late Sunday found that water had never came into contact with the elevator’s control panel or electrical service.
PG&E is expected to restore power to the building on Tuesday. Residents will be able to return to their homes once a safety check is performed on all building systems, including the elevator.
Management staff provided food, water and snacks to residents displaced by the incident, and had arranged hotel stays for all of them by 4 p.m. Sunday. Staff members also worked with residents to retrieve personal items from their apartments and, in many cases, drove them to their hotels late Sunday afternoon and into the evening. A security service was called in to protect the building on Sunday and Monday evening.
On Monday, management staff will deliver a $300 gift card to each displaced household for incidentals and the cost of replacing food that may have spoiled. Lunch and dinner are being delivered to residents until they are able to return home. Residents are not being charged for the hotel stay and will receive a partial credit on their June rent due to the incident.
Ed Cafasso
Spokesman, Oak Grove Senior Terrace Apartments
Oakley Mayor Anissa Williams says the city is aware of the incident and have been on scene since Sunday.
“The city is aware of the incident and has been on scene since yesterday,” said Williams. “People will not be moved back in until the city is reassured that the building is safe and sanitary. The mayor and vice mayor have been coordinating with the various donation efforts and ensuring that the people displaced are being cared for and have access to everything they need. We will continue this effort throughout the process and are not relaxing on our standards.”
Oakley Mayor Anissa Williams with donated toothpaste and toothbrushes after a trip to winco
The incident prompted several community members and non-profits to begin coordinating supply drop-offs from food, clothing, to toiletries.
Oakley Vice Mayor Shannon Shaw said Sunday, “the city is aware of the situation. Residents will be moved to other vacant units or a hotel, depending if other floors will have to be evacuated. We will know more when an electrician is on scene to access the situation.”
Over the past few years, multiple residents have complaint publicly about the Carol Lane Apartments (The Oaks) from keeping up with maintenance and repairs while also expressing concerns over safety. It also prompted the Oakley City Council to create an ad-hoc committee to tackle affordable housing and other issues.
Oakley City Council to Receive Update on The Oaks
Call it coincidental timing or dumb luck, but the Oakley City Council were scheduled to receive a report on The Oaks Tuesday night during its council meeting–the agenda was released Friday, ahead of Sunday’s incident.
| Building | Buildings | Physical Occupancy | Economic Occupancy |
| Oak Creek | 51 & 49 | 75% | 74.43% |
| The Commons | 53 & 59 | 76% | 75.92% |
| Oak Grove Terrace | 65 | 81% | 75.09% |
| Oak Place | 67 | 76% | 91.54% |
| Oak Forest | 81 | 77% | 93.94% |
| Oak Meadows | 69 | 95% | 78.23% |
| Oak Ridge | 73 | 86% | 85.42% |
The staff is working on 25 new applications currently with a goal of each property to be in the mid 90% by June 30.
Legal: 18 residents are eviction for nonpayment of rent and other lease violations.
Repairs & Maintenance
Capital Projects – 1 st Quarter – Completed
- Landscape– Weed control, tree and shrubbery trimming, dead brush removal, edging and mowing, irrigation repairs
- Lighting – Interior & exterior inspections for photocells & bulbs replacement, timer adjustments for daylight savings, major repairs were coordinated with an outside vendor
- Sidewalk Repairs & Replacement – ongoing process for improvement and replacement of broken concrete
- Clubroom Improvements – Buildings 59, 65, 67, 81– flooring, painting, furniture
Compliance & Recertifications
- 46 annual recertifications completed in March
- 30 annual recertifications completed in April
- 25 annual certifications due in May and 20 have been completed, 5 pending completion
- 37 annual certifications due in June and 24 have been completed, 13 Pending completion
- 37 annual certifications due in July and 20 have been completed, 17 pending completion
Capital Projects – 2nd Quarter – Underway
- Clubroom Improvements – Buildings 59, 65, 67 – all new furniture purchased and installed.
- Heritage Grove area Maintenance
- Spring cleaning of Buildings- Currently addressing interior doors, floor repairs, lighting replacements and cleaning of lens covers
- Balcony Inspections – Balconies scheduled to be inspected by 5/31/2024.
- Building & Unit Inspections – HVAC, roofs, windows, fascia, stucco and common area building inspections to be completed in June. Common area building inspections completed and all life & safety items have been repaired. Non-urgent items will be scheduled for completion in 3rd quarter. Unit inspections are scheduled for July and August.
- Tree Removal – At risk trees have been removed.
- Trash Compactor replacement – New compactor was installed on May 2 nd . All new trash carts were received at the same time
Day-to-day Maintenance
The property continued to make progress on closing out aging work orders, with 97 more works orders completed in April than were reported to the office. The property continues to balance resolving older service requests with non-emergency requests which are received.
March Service Request
- 96 new work orders were reported in March
- 295 work orders were completed in March
April Service Request
- 152 new work orders were reported in April
- 249 work orders were completed in April
Keys, Locks & Doors
- Monthly doors and locks inspections have occurred to ensure keys operate properly, doors open and close properly.
- Common area doors are inspected weekly, most recently on 5/13/2024 and 5/6/2024 with no findings.
- Inspection on Monday, 5/20, identified one door not properly working. The door is currently secure, additional repairs by a locksmith are scheduled for Friday, 5/24.
Cameras
- All camera systems were inspected last on 5/20/2024 and all were operational. Inspections occur biweekly on Monday.
Gates
- The motherboard on the communication system was vandalized on 4/19/2024 and the vehicle gates have not been operating properly. The vendor was contacted to assist, and they are researching solutions. They have to find a compatible motherboard for replacement. Camera footage has been requested to prosecute the vandals.
