Mouldy, smelly Pyramid Point
• Returning residents bemoan unbearable state of luxury homes in gated Ocho Rios community • NEPA, public health report several problems at new housing development
PLAGUED WITH a range of unbearable issues at their “luxury homes”, frustration is mounting in Pyramid Point in Ocho Rios, St Ann, where at least two homeowners are crying foul over what they describe as a “ripoff” by the housing developer.
The women, both returning residents, are now exploring options for redress as they believe that their hopes of returning to live peacefully in the island of their birth are shattered.
Among the problems they shared with The Sunday Gleaner are that their approximately $55 million homes are covered in mould, while the sewerage system in the new upscale community is incomplete, causing a foul stench inside their dwelling.
“Nobody should have signed off on these homes for anyone to come here and live. This is unacceptable, and it is not a good look for Jamaica. If we push and go international with this, it is not going to be good at all. We are trying to keep this as local as possible,” Patrine Lee told The Sunday Gleaner.
To compound their problems, they claim that the developer, Manukah Development Limited, has become elusive.
The luxurious gated community of Pyramid Point reportedly consists of newly constructed two-bedroom houses priced at US$255,000 each, and three-bedroom units starting at US$295,000. With a view overlooking the Ocho Rios harbour, the scheme is advertised as featuring a number of modern, state-of-the-art amenities. The development reportedly targets returning residents who are looking to enjoy high-end luxury living in Ocho Rios.
The appealing sell is what attracted the current homeowners, but they are now regretting their decision, they say.
Alleyene Frye said she had always dreamed of moving back to Jamaica from the United States where she has resided since the age of seven. This, she said, was the motivation behind purchasing her luxury home in the posh gated St Ann community.
But Frye said she was in for a rude awakening after receiving the keys to her three-bedroom, three- and a half-bathroom house in February 2023. She was alarmed to find the house covered in mould, and various attempts to rid the space of the microorganism have been unsuccessful.
“I have had mould in my house from that date till now. I have painted my walls with antifungal paint. I have cleaned and I have put air vents in the closets and bathrooms to let air flow through the place. I will keep the bathroom windows open when I am not there, but that does not work,” Frye bemoaned.
She said representatives from Manukah Development responded to her complaints and visited the house, but she claims that the company is refusing to effectively address the matter.
She was forced to seek external assistance, but to no avail.
“They have come and done different things to my house. I have had a structural engineer come by and one of the things that he said I need to address is the roof because it has no roofing compound on it, so the roof sucks up the water like a sponge,” Frye explained.
“I also have to implement a drainage system outside of my house because the yard was not graded properly to allow water to move away from the house.”
NEPA INVESTIGATING
Lee’s complaints are similar, in addition, she told The Sunday Gleaner, to having to deal with sewer stench every time she enters a bathroom in her house, since receiving the keys last year November.
“Aside from mould issues, we have a sewage scent coming into the house because it is a free flow sewerage system. The scent travels back up into the homes through any pipe that is connected,” she noted.
“I have not been living in the house as yet and I have to pay a
mortgage for the three months that I can’t live in it. When you walk in my house you can smell the mouldy and funky scent.”
She believes their complaints are falling on deaf ears.
“I honestly believe some corruption is at play here, because it makes no other sense. Every development has to go through an approval process,” the returning resident reasoned.
Lee said she reached out to the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), and representatives visited her house earlier this year to investigate the problems.
In an email response shared with The Sunday Gleaner, NEPA outlined that they recognised the presence of mould, faulty water heater and prevailing sewer odour in Lee’s unit. The agency also stated that there was also an absence of outdoor ventilation covers and labels for the electrical panel.
The returning resident bemoaned her decision to invest in Jamaica, declaring that, “This is the worse decision I have ever made. I have cried so much since receiving this home.”
INCREASE IN COMPLAINTS
When The Sunday Gleaner contacted Jaquan Duksah, vice president at Manukah Development, he directed our news team to the property manager at Pyramid Point, Joseph Wilson.
While Duksah was unwilling to respond to questions from this newspaper, Wilson acknowledged that there have been an increase in complaints of mould and sewage smell from the residents of the gated community. He, however, could not speak to plans to address these concerns.
“In my capacity as property manager, they usually send me pictures of defects for the records as it relates to their particular units, then we send it off to Manukah Development. As it relates to what is being done and what the developer will be doing, that is something above my pay grade,” Wilson told The Sunday Gleaner.
The property manager added, “I have gotten emails from a number of residents who speak to the sewage smell, so I know that it exists.”
EXCESSIVE MOISTURE
St Ann’s chief public health inspector, Leroy Scott, shared that he, too, has received several complaints from Pyramid Point residents. Scott said that his investigations have also indicated that the concerns are justified.
“One person originally complained and that triggered a number of similar complaints about the presence of mould in their occupied space. We initially did one investigation and then that followed with a couple others,” Scott told The Sunday Gleaner.
“The requests kept coming, so we couldn’t keep up with the number of requests that we have. We found, however, that there are justifications to the complaints in relation to the presence of mould.”
The chief public health inspector added, “The conditions were extensive in at least one of the units that we looked at.”
While pointing out that there are several reasons for mould growth inside a house, Scott told The Sunday Gleaner that the microorganism usually thrives in spaces where there is a presence of excessive moisture. He reported that excessive moisture was observed during the public health department’s visit to houses in Pyramid Point.
“In some of the units that we assessed, we recognised that the storm waters that should drain from the roof don’t run off as it should. It was recognised that based on the gradient of the roofs, which are concrete, it did not allow for the entire storm water to run off. There was, in fact, evidence where the water was accumulating on top of the roof,” Scott explained.
He continued, “There were also instances where, based on the presentation of the walls, the paint was peeling and it was indicative that it could be the result of a seepage of moisture through those walls. Poor ventilation may be a factor as well because some of the units were not regularly opened up.”
SEEK LEGAL ADVICE
Though both Lee and Frye told The Sunday Gleaner that complaints were also lodged with the St Ann Municipal Corporation, Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Brown-Cunningham said that no formal complaints have been received from residents in Pyramid Point. The CEO shared that she was, however, made aware of the situation.
“I have not received any complaints from the persons who own properties in Pyramid Point. About a month ago, I believe, I got a call from a reporter from TVJ asking about mould there and I indicated to them that it would be between the purchasers of the houses and the contractors,” said Brown-Cunningham. “That is as much as I am aware of.”
Advising that affected Pyramid Point residents should seek legal advice, Brown-Cunningham made a commitment to make contact with them.