CORPUS CHRISTI – A Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi student has gone to social media to voice his concerns about what he says are unhealthy conditions at an on-campus housing facility.
The Miramar Apartments on campus are privately owned by an Austin-based company.
Patrick Nevill shot video and took photos to back up his complaint.
Nevill said problems began after heavy rainstorms in June, and he now considers the conditions at the Miramar Apartments to be too dangerous to live in.
“They have nice amenities and stuff, but the quality of the building and the service you get is not worth it,” Nevill said.
Cell phone video shot by Nevill shows some type of growth on the ceiling, walls, door frames and light fixtures. He said he was told by Miramar staff that the problem would be taken care of.
Instead, he was moved to a different building within the complex, which he said has similar issues.
Nevill said for the amount he pays in rent to live in that complex, he expects better.
“It’s just not right. If we’re going to pay a premium price for a dorm room, then we want a safe dorm to live in. I don’t want to get sick living in my own home to go to school,” Nevill said.
KRIS 6 News spoke with management at the Miramar Apartments who directed us to their property owner, American Campus Communities.
An email sent to us by the company shows Patrick Nevill’s apartment is not the only unit affected. The email identifies a total of ten units with documented microbial growth.
Only after learning KRIS 6 News had received that email documentation, an apartment spokesperson then told us they took care of that problem in July.
They said they have also contracted with a private company that will inspect the apartments in September to see if there is still any contamination.
Below is a two-part statement KRIS 6 News received from a spokesperson at American Campus Communities:
“American Campus Communities assumed management of Miramar last December. We performed remediation on mildew issues caused by the coastal location and Hurricane Harvey that were noted during our due diligence process. It is our standard to continually inspect and repair any and all issues as part of our stringent protocol during our regular maintenance routines. In July, we were made aware of limited mildew issues in a few units. We performed remediation services at that time and the issues were fixed. We have walked and inspected the community and do not believe there to be any outstanding issues.”
-Gina Cowart, American Campus Communities
“AquaOne did the initial remediation upon our initial maintenance work when we took over management. At that time, they provided us all of the equipment and supplies to conduct any future remediation if needed to allow for swift responsiveness. When the issues came up in July, we immediately conducted the remediation and corrected all issues. AquaOne will be coming out in September for an additional inspection as part of their contract with us if their services are needed.”
-Gina Cowart, American Campus Communities
