HOA funds depleted by repairs

By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

Residents of the Faith Ridge condos say that the developer of their buildings put homeowners’ health and safety at risk by installing the wrong hot water tanks and by using recalled materials in the construction of the condos.

Patricia Duhoski, president of the Faith Ridge Homeowners Association, addressed the Baldwinsville Village Board of Trustees at the May 17 board meeting on behalf of 48 Faith Ridge residents.

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, the Sciugas have moved to Nebraska, where they continue to develop and sell homes.

Duhoski said the HOA has depleted its funds and had to take out a loan to pay for repairs. Duhoski said according to a forensic audit, money is missing from the HOA account and there are billing discrepancies. But chief among the issues Faith Ridge is facing is the hot water tanks installed in the two buildings. According to Faith Ridge residents, the water heaters installed are supposed to use natural gas, but the builder hooked them up to propane.

“Natural gas lines were never installed on the property. Instead, the builder purchased propane gas tanks and buried them on the property without informing the village,” Duhoski said. “The manufacturers of the water heaters told us they were not intended for propane and there were no converter kits made. Therefore, the person or persons who installed them would have had to cobble together a fixture to connect to a propane pipe.”

The HOA contacted Onondaga County Plumbing Control, but Duhoski said the agency stated that it only inspects water pipe installations, not the combustible gas source of the water heater.

According to Propane101.com, an informational site created by propane dealers for the average citizen, incomplete combustion of propane can produce carbon monoxide. Duhoski said there have been three carbon monoxide leaks in the buildings, the third of which required the evacuation of the condos. While no one suffered carbon monoxide poisoning, Duhoski said one resident fell while trying to exit the building.

“Some residents are actually afraid to live in their condos,” she said.

The Faith Ridge HOA spent $50,000 to replace the buildings’ water heaters and incurred even more costs to repair plumbing issues and other damage. Duhoski said the HOA cannot afford a lawyer, but they have notified the New York State Attorney General’s office.

Duhoski said certain vendors who supplied plumbing and gas fixtures said they had no record of work done on the condos. Code Enforcement Officer Gregg Humphrey corroborated this and added that the builders also used recalled materials.

“Some of those installers … had no record of the work being done,” Humphrey said. “So we don’t know if he was hiring some of these individuals under the table. There’s definitely issues with the way the whole operation was done.”

Mayor Dick Clarke said he sympathized with the Faith Ridge residents.

“I’m getting frustrated just sitting here. I can’t imagine what it’s been like,” he said.

Clarke said the buildings had passed the village’s inspections, but Duhoski said the builders did not tell them they were switching from natural gas to propane. Village Attorney Bob Baldwin said code inspectors can make sure the necessary fixtures are in place, but they do not have a way to find out the power source.

“When you make an inspection, you … make sure there’s power, make sure there’s gas. You have no idea where it’s coming from, and there are no facilities to determine [the source],” Baldwin said. “Our systems here are not set up to do that.”

Humphrey said he had safety concerns as well.

“There’s a lot of frustration on my side as well,” Humphrey said. “Permits are issued by the county plumbing control. …They sign off on that permit and then they go through and give us a certificate that the installation was properly done.”

Deputy Mayor Bruce Stebbins suggested that Faith Ridge residents contact their local elected officials. Clarke said he would reach out to the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office and the state AG as well.