By Ashley M. Casey
Staff Writer
All’s well that ends well for the residents of the Faith Ridge condos. After spending more than $50,000 and enlisting the help of village officials, the complex’s 48 residents now have properly functioning hot water heaters, electrical fixtures and carbon monoxide detectors.
“All of us together share in [the issues] we inherited from the builders, which now are fixed,” said Patricia Duhoski, president of the Faith Ridge Homeowners Association.
Back in May, Duhoski appeared before the Baldwinsville Village Board of Trustees to ask for help. Duhoski said the developers of Faith Ridge had installed the incorrect type of hot water tanks, leading to three carbon monoxide leaks in the buildings. The HOA ended up spending more than $50,000 in an effort to repair the builders’ mistakes.
“Pat’s delivery to the village was just what we needed to get people to support us,” said Barb Burkett, treasurer of the Faith Ridge HOA.
Located on Landrush Way near the former Tri-County Mall site, the two Faith Ridge buildings were constructed in 2011 and 2012 by Golden Legacy LLC and B.S. Enterprises LLC, owned by Thomas and Ruby Sciuga.
According to Duhoski, Faith Ridge’s old hot water heaters were intended to be powered by natural gas. But the developers never installed the natural gas lines; instead, they connected the tanks to propane.
Duhoski and Baldwinsville Code Enforcement Officer Gregg Humphrey said the developers used recalled construction materials for plumbing and electrical fixtures, and vendors of those materials had no record of work being done on the Faith Ridge condos.
Burkett praised Baldwinsville officials, notably Humphrey and Mayor Dick Clarke, for their help in resolving the situation. Clarke helped contact the New York State Attorney General’s office, which is investigating the Sciugas for issues related to the Faith Ridge situation.
“They were educating, supporting and guiding us, and we’re very thankful for that,” she said. “It was wonderful working with the village and many of its departments.”
The village helped the HOA gather documentation of safety inspections and building permits, and Humphrey brought in an independent electrical inspector who “had no dog in the fight,” Duhoski said.
HOA board member Katherine Demarest said Res-Com Heating and Air Conditioning redid its work for free after learning of Faith Ridge’s woes.
Now that the safety concerns have been resolved, Faith Ridge residents want to get the word out to potential buyers. Burkett said it has been difficult for some residents to sell their condos.
“They didn’t give us an opportunity to explain it’s a safe place to live,” Burkett said.
“We’re probably one of the safest condos,” Duhoski added.
