Unsafe conditions displace Polo Run Apartments residents

Residents of Polo Run Apartments are looking for a new place to live after the city closed part of the complex for code violations Thursday.

Hot Springs Assistant City Manager/City Clerk Lance Spicer said Friday that 11 residents were affected by the closure. According to the notice of unsafe conditions sent Wednesday to Adam Glickman, managing partner of AMG Realty Group, the Illinois-based owner of the complex, second-floor platforms and stairways on four of the complex’s buildings are in immediate need of reconstruction.

“Failure to maintain your structure is a violation of Section 116 of the 2012 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Volume II Section 116 as amended and adopted by reference in Title 15 of the Hot Springs Code,” the notice said.

Notices placed on doors of affected tenants Thursday said the building was “substandard” and unlawful to occupy. At presstime, Glickman had yet to respond to a request for comment. According to property records, AMG acquired the complex for $2.15 million in February 2017.

Spicer said the inspection leading to the closure was unrelated to the March 27 fire that killed Gillibando Arellano, 48, whom police said died from toxic fumes that overcame him as he tried to escape his second-floor apartment. Rayson Edward Clayton, 22, was charged with capital murder in connection with the fire, which authorities determined was the result of arson.

“This particular inspection was separate from anything dealing with the

fire-burned building,” Spicer said. “We received notification that the stairway and the elevated walkway were unsafe, and that is what led us to issue the notice.”

City officials said the complex has been cited for issues ranging from leaky roofs, missing smoke detectors and plumbing problems to bedbug infestation.