Bayou Towers to open Monday

The Houma-Terrebonne Hous-ing Authority announced that Bayou Towers residents will return home next week, although several Senator Circle residents’ living arrangements remain in limbo.

Sixty-one families were removed from the Senator Circle low-income housing complex in September after their housing units were severely damaged by Hurricane Gustav.

Since that time, housing authority officials have been able to repair the roofs only on the damaged Senator Circle units. Housing Authority Executive Director Wayne Thibodeaux said there is no estimated time set for the interior work to begin, though he said it should be soon.

“We will start the interior work shortly,” Thibodeaux told the housing authority board last week. “This will include gutting nearly four feet into the drywall and replacing it. We also have to replace all of the damaged cabinets and clean the heating and cooling duct system.”

An official date for the 61 families to return home is still unknown. Many of them are displaced with families or in hotels in the surrounding areas.

Bayou Towers, on the other hand, sustained roughly $3 million in storm damage, and has been closed since September for repairs and mold remediation.

The 11-story public housing complex is home to nearly 300 elderly and disabled residents. It was slated to reopen in January, but delays postponed the opening until Monday.

“We are going to have a big welcome home celebration for the residents,” Thibodeaux said. “They have been waiting on this day for months.”

The building suffered extensive damage on all 11 stories. Thibodeaux said 65 units were gutted and repaired. The air duct system was cleaned, vacuumed and sealed with a chemical for mold remediation.

In addition, the elevator shafts were cleaned, the entire interior was sprayed for mold, and the façade of the building was replaced.

The floors were also replaced in various apartments on the north side of the building from the second floor to the top floor.

Bayou Towers presently has a temporary roof until a more permanent fixture can be assembled, Thibodeaux said.

At its last meeting, the housing authority board hired Healthy Air Duct Cleaning and C.M. Janitorial Services of Houma to do the final repairs and cleanup of the building.

But as Bayou Towers is reopened for tenants, more concerns are arising about missing property. Last week, some Bayou Towers residents alleged that items were missing from their apartments.

Thibodeaux said some items were thrown out of the apartment because of mold infestation; others were removed to make room for the air-duct cleaners and mold removal workers.

Tenants noticed personal belongings missing during brief visits when they were allowed back.

“The tenants have been asked to make an itemized list of the things they are missing,” Thibodeaux said. “If they have receipts for the items, that will be good to show proof that they owned those items.

“Once the information is collected, we will consult with the insurance company to see what can be done,” he added.

Hilda Wolfe, a Bayou Towers resident since last June, cleans out her refrigerator as she readies to move back into her apartment on Monday. Sixty-one Senator Circle residents’ fate remains unknown. * Photo by KEYON J. JEFF