Roaches scurrying out the door — Belleville apartments condemned

An apartment building along West Boulevard in Belleville has been condemned, forcing occupants of eight units to leave, the St. Clair County Building and Zoning Department said.

The building at 2917 West Blvd. is infested with roaches, and has leaking toilets, leaking sinks and holes in the walls, said Anne Markezich, the director of the county Building and Zoning Department.

“Nobody should be living in these conditions,” Markezich said.

When code-enforcement personnel, a sheriff’s deputy and a social worker went to the building on Thursday, there were roaches coming out a door of a unit, Markezich said.

The conditions were so bad, a hazmat team was called to retrieve paperwork for one of the building’s occupants.

“It was deplorable,” said Herb Simmons, director of the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency.

At least one family — a mother and four children — was put up at a hotel. Staff members from the Belle Valley School District were at the apartment building gathering some belongings of the family.

The building was condemned, and occupants in eight of the 12 units needed to find somewhere else to live. The county was working to assist them, Markezich said.

Markezich estimated an additional 10 children were in the building.

Markezich said the units rented for $600 per month.

She added the county has had issues with the landlord, Jeff Thomas, in the past.

Thomas did not answer a phone call seeking comment.

The zoning department has received other calls from people in nearby buildings, Markezich said.

With the building being condemned, Thomas will have 30 days to bring it up to code, according to condemnation signs posted on the building. If he doesn’t, the county can bring him to court and make a decision on what to do with the property.

“We feel the structure is unfit for any human to occupy,” Markezich said. “In my opinion, the building needs to be gutted.”

This story was originally published August 26, 2016 at 3:20 PM with the headline "Roaches scurrying out the door — Belleville apartments condemned."