Larson, Murphy visit Concierge Apartments in Rocky Hill as repair work continues

Rep. John Larson and Sen. Chris Murphy stopped by the Concierge Apartments in Rocky Hill on Tuesday afternoon to get a better look at the damage.

“This place was in disarray to begin with,” said Murphy after taking a walk inside. “I mean, this hadn’t happened at this scale before.”

At the beginning of the month, a broken heating and hot water system, burst pipes, flooding, and a failing fire suppression system led to the evacuation of approximately 2,000 people, according to the town. Larson and Murphy say federal legislation is needed to prevent this from happening again.

Repairs are continuing, and a representative for JRK Property Holdings, who owns the complex, says that residents in Building B should be able to return on Wednesday. This is pending the building’s inspection on Tuesday.

Residents of two other buildings, A and C, will have to wait longer. Tarps on building A are currently lined with danger signs warning of asbestos.

In a statement, JRK Property Holdings said, “The repair and restoration work required for Buildings A and C is more considerable than what we knew earlier last week, and the second sub-zero temperature event that occurred the weekend of February 7-8 hampered our original repair efforts.”

It went on to say it expected people in building C to move back on Feb. 27 and building A on March 6.

“You can’t simply sugarcoat this, and that’s what’s important about being here,” Larson said after seeing the building. “You get the authentic response from the actual residents and the people that lived here.”

During a meeting on Wednesday, the Rocky Hill Town Council voted to invite the property owner to one of their future meetings.