ALBERTA CITY, Ala. (WIAT) - Geraldine Horton has no neighbors. Outside the window of her Graceland Apartment there are roofs torn from the other duplexes and broken glass covering the ground. Horton says she does not mind the view. She has lived on the same street five times and considers Alberta her home. When Horton heard someone was renting the only duplex not completely destroyed at Graceland Apartments she was thrilled.
"Frankly, there are some parts of town where I don't want to go," Horton explains. "Alberta is my home."
But Horton could be forced out her new home soon. Horton says she moved into the duplex at the beginning of January, but she didn't realize that the Tuscaloosa City Council had unanimously voted to seize the property in December. Mayor Walt Maddox made the recommendation that the property was need for the new Alberta Elementary School and a new fire station. Maddox says the council had also been watching the complex for awhile because studies showed the 7.3% of the city's crime in 2009 happened within a half mile radius of Graceland Apartments. Maddox further explains that the person who owns the majority of the property had done nothing to remove any of the debris since the storms. There were issues with the bank and insurance disputes, according to Maddox.
Matt Leavell says he purchased Horton's complex separately after the storms, knowing that it could be a risk. However, Leavell claims he never received official word that the apartments would come down. Leavell says he put money into fixing the duplex up, and then began looking for renters. Horton signed a year lease. Leavell claims he has always had a good working relationship with the city, but he is concerned about being fairly compensated for the apartments.
Mayor Maddox says the city attorney contacted Leavell's attorney to notify him about the apartment's demo. The Graceland Apartments had been a big part of discussion in the Tuscaloosa Forward plan since July of 2011.
"It was always transparent,"Maddox explains. He expressed further concern that a property owner would put a renter in that environment. Maddox says the permit process was never completed and the city is unaware of the safety of the structure or the public heath concerns about it's location. "We will work with the renter to find her somewhere else to go."
Leavell says he only heard from the city for the first time Thursday regarding the permit problems. He says that he is working to get those issues resolved.
