Minutes - Council - 07/28/2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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and was assured that the railing would be put up when the other items were addressed. She stated that she came home one day to find two 2x4s placed by the builder. She stated that they called again and spoke with a new City staff member as Bill had retired. She stated that her husband, City staff and Mr. Purmort came to an agreement that they would put up the railings and Mr. Purmort would pay them $750. She stated that after installing the railings she received a letter from Mr. Purmort’s attorney stating that he would not pay anything. She noted that after negotiations with City staff, the agreement was that Mr. Purmort would pay $350. She stated that other homes in the neighborhood did not have double railings, and they felt picked on. She stated that as a tax paying resident she does not feel that the builder should get away with these things and that they should be left responsible. She stated that she was told by the inspector that she would need to come to the City Council to ask that the $350 be taken from the escrow account held by the City. She noted that earlier today she was told that Mr. Purmort agreed to pay the $350 now and she would not have to attend the Council meeting. She stated that after all the issues they have encountered, she felt that it would be best to come to the Council. She stated that everyone in the new construction neighborhood have had problems with Mr. Purmort and issues in their new homes because of the builder. She stated that there is a community of residents that are not happy and feel that they are not being heard. Mayor LeTourneau stated that he is empathetic with how frustrating this situation has been. He agreed that coming forward was the right thing to do. He stated that this will not only help the situation of her and her neighbors but also how the Council can be better for the residents. He stated that this is where the residents choose to live, and the community should be how they want it to be. He stated that they have heard the comments and will address the issues. Ms. Hontarenko stated that makes her feel better. She stated that she has contemplated selling but would have to pay a large amount of money to fix the things that would need to be fixed prior to selling. Deputy City Administrator Gladhill stated that staff has had challenges with this builder, noting that this is not the first complaint about this builder. He stated that they had an agreement with the builder, but the builder recanted on the agreement. He stated that once it was communicated that the discussion would occur at the Council, the builder agreed to the release of funds from the escrow account to the resident. He stated that he is willing to work with the homeowners, noting that staff can help to submit the complaints to the appropriate party. He stated that the City has spent a few thousand dollars in legal fees in order to negotiate with this builder/contractor. th Eric Domaas, 7784 148 Lane NW, stated that he had a very similar situation but was told from the City that $150 would be reimbursed for the railing. He stated that he did not do anything with the railing. He stated that he has filed complaints with multiple agencies but has not gotten anywhere. He commented that it sounds like Purmort Homes is going to build another community in Ramsey, which troubles him because that company did not do a good job on this development. He stated that his neighbor across the street already moved out because of the issues. He stated that while they understand that the City cannot solve the problems right away, the neighborhood feels that the issues need to be voiced. City Council / July 28, 2020 Page 3 of 16