Local

Mold takes over woman's Pittsburgh apartment (management responds)

PITTSBURGH — TUESDAY'S STORY:

A local woman’s loved ones contacted Channel 11 News and asked for help with a mold problem inside her home.

Linda Upsher showed Channel 11's Pamela Osborne around her Pittsburgh apartment, and there was mold in every room. We've chosen to not identify the apartment until we hear back from the management company.

Upsher said she’s moved out because the mold is so bad.

“It’s in every single room,” Upsher said. “It’s in the bedroom, the bathroom, the living area. It’s growing out of control.”

According to Upsher, her doctor suspected the conditions were worsening her asthma and could perhaps cause other respiratory issues.

“It’s coming out of the wall,” she said. “This is what I’ve been living in.”

Upsher told Osborne she’s lived in the apartment for four years, and it hasn’t always been this bad.

“I stopped cleaning it. I was told by one of the maintenance guys, ‘That’s mold. Don’t touch it,’” she said. “They didn’t offer me help. They came and did inspections and took pictures.”

As soon as Osborne hears back from the leasing office, the apartment complex or the Health Department – we’ll pass that information along.

WEDNESDAY UPDATE:

On Wednesday, the property managers at the Oak Hill Apartments in Pittsburgh talked with Osborne about the situation.

Property manager Sonya Bolling said maintenance workers and outside contractors have been hired to fix the problem.

The trouble, according to Bolling, is with the design of some of the property’s 99 units.

“The units that they’re in are airtight. It’s all concrete, so there’s every ingredient for mold to grow,” Bolling said.

The apartment homes were built in the 1940s, and managers said inspectors cited poor ventilation for the mold.

“If we had a good heating system with good ventilation, we’d be well on our way to not having this problem at all,” said Paul Mahoney, with Corcoran Jannison Management LLC.

Osborne reported the repairs would cost about $1.2 million, a price tag that’s high for the development.

“There is a serious problem. Our residents are living there and they shouldn’t have to live like that,” Bolling said. “We’re trying to identify those individuals and put them in hotels.”

WPXI

Most Read