The recently evacuated Haven West conidium building had a lengthy record with the City of Waukesha. The engineering report that ultimately deemed the tower unsafe to occupy was not random, or the first. The City of Waukesha, through a news release Friday, said it was aware of issues facing the building for more than a year
In June of 2020, the city of Waukesha received a complaint about the conditions of the balconies at the Waukesha condominium and ordered the residents to avoid using the balconies until they were deemed safe to use. Additionally, the city ordered the owner to conduct an engineering analysis and provide it to the city.
There were additional inspections throughout 2020 and 2021 by the city of Waukesha, as the building owner attempted to find contractors to rectify the issues, according to officials.
In September of 2021, a fence was ordered to be installed around the building due to the worsening condition of the balconies and the falling debris that was dropping from them.
In October, the condominium began to remove the balconies, which revealed deficiencies of the structural frame of the building as well as the structural columns. This prompted additional inspections by the Fire Department and the City’s third party independent structural engineer.
On Tuesday, November 30th, a preliminary structural report by an independent structural engineer revealed deficiencies in the load-bearing structure of the building, which is when the city began discussing what next steps look like.
After additional visits and analysis from the City, Horizon Condo building engineers, and the independent structural engineers. Waukesha Fire Chief Steve Howard made the executive decision to activate its emergency operation center and began overseeing the evacuation of 65 residents. 23 rooms were provided by the Salvation Army for temporary housing.
On Friday morning, the city met to formulate a plan to provide immediate shoring and support to stabilize the structure and avoid any imminent structural collapse. It is unclear at this time if or when the building will reopen, a plan is currently being formulated to retrieve residents belongings from the structure.
The American Red Cross is assisting those who were evacuated from the scene.
At the shelter, our teams will have meals, health/mental health resources, and safe, comfortable confines for any residents who need a place to stay for the near-term. We'll also begin conversations with evacuated people on the next steps in their recovery. (2/3)
— American Red Cross of Wisconsin #GiveWithMeaning (@RedCrossWIS) December 4, 2021
