Improved Macon-Bibb Code Enforcement working to prevent issues like 2019 Crystal Lake evictions, code violations
New leadership and policies aim to improve safety and accountability in Macon-Bibb County
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – As part of a 41NBC Follow-Up, we’re learning about significant changes in Macon-Bibb County Code Enforcement.
In 2019, hundreds of people were evicted from Crystal Lake Apartments after the complex failed to pay utilities and poor living conditions were exposed. We reported Crystal Lake received numerous code enforcement violations leading up to those evictions, which if fixed, could have remedied the situation.
In our initial report, we discovered people were living with mold and continuous water shut off notices because the complex wasn’t paying the Macon Water Authority, even though water was included in rent, leaving now-former residents frustrated.
Macon Water Authority shut off the complex’s water until some of the past due amount was paid, and when the water was turned on, pipes burst. That caused damage to the high rise and led to residents moving out after the fire department deemed the building unsafe.
The complex eventually placed eviction notices on every resident’s door, leaving hundreds of people without a place to live. The former complex owner of Bull Realty, Steve Firestone, even went to court, where the county wanted to see him face criminal charges. During the investigation, 41NBC learned that Crystal Lake received multiple Code Enforcement violations from 2017 to 2019.
In 2021, Macon-Bibb Code Enforcement got a new director, J.T. Ricketson. He said he made changes right away, like hiring more than double the staff.
“There were probably seven or eight code officers,” he said. “Now we have 20 positions.”
They’re even sworn officers so they can ticket people.
“We’re going to give them a citation,” he said. “We’re going to bring them to court and hopefully get some sort of judication in court and get some resolution.”
There is also a change to the way officers document cases.
“We don’t want anything to fall through the cracks,” Ricketson continued. “We also want to hold landlords and apartment complex owners accountable for their properties and conditions they have them.”
Ricketson wants his officers who respond to a complaint to show up and look at the surrounding area, too.
“You see anything else and come back to the office, look at our computer system to see if there are any other complaints, write them down so we can make sure complexes have a lot more accountability,” he said.
Code Enforcement is also taking a deeper look at blight to make sure buildings don’t pose a serious safety hazard. The department is also opening old cases to look at complex’s histories.
Ricketson says Code Enforcement receives anywhere from 200 to 300 calls a month.
TGBG Management has since bought the Crystal Lake Apartment property. A small section of the complex is being occupied by residents, and that part has been renamed to Lakeside Apartments. The rest of the complex remains vacant.
41NBC reached out to the complex and TGBG Management for a comment on improvements they’ve made, as well as future plans, but we had not heard back at the time of this report.
