Tenants at East Patchogue senior complex push for permanent solution to water, mold issues

Tenants at the Pinehurst Senior Complex in East Patchogue are urging for a permanent solution to the severe water and mold issues in the building.

News 12 Staff

Aug 22, 2022, 9:39 PM

Updated 839 days ago

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Tenants at the Pinehurst Senior Complex in East Patchogue are urging for a permanent solution to the severe water and mold issues in the building.
The Suffolk County Health Department and the Town of Brookhaven Fire Marshal's Office responded to do an inspection Monday after the tenants, who are seniors and mostly disabled, complained of burst pipes, water damage and mold.
The tenants say burst pipe issues happened four times in five days this past week.
Water flowed down from the ceiling, flooding hallways and whole apartments. Brown water also came out of the faucets, and the 300-unit senior complex has had no access to hot water since Sunday.
Janice Montalvo is a double amputee who lives at the complex. She says the water issues have disrupted her health.
“It makes me unable to do the things that I need to do to take care of both legs,” Montalvo says. “I could end up losing more of my leg if there's any more breakdowns from not being able to clean my legs or the liners properly, and without hot water, I can't do that.”
Some tenants haven't had clean running water in days. They say when the water gets turned back on, it's brown.
Other tenants say that repairs have been made, but it's only a bandage to the problems.
Conifer LLC, the company that manages the property, told News 12 they are aware of the situation and they are working to find a permanent solution.
Many of the tenants are also concerned about mold issues.
One tenant showed News 12 pictures of the mold that she has underneath her wood flooring. She claims when she mentioned the problem to the management, they put her off.
“Treat me like a person. Would they want this for their parents?” she says. “It's out of control, all lies.”
The Suffolk County Health Department told News 12 a restoration company came to the complex Monday to remove and replace flood-damaged carpets and walls.
The management says it placed a mobile, temporary water heating truck to supply hot water to the buildings.
The Fire Marshal's Office says an inspection found everything was in working order and no tickets were issued.