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3 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,N ovem ber 15,2018 w aterloochronicle.ca Waterloo ChronicleVoluntary Pay Contribution Program We ask you to consider contributing $30 per year towards delivery of your Community Newspaper. Many of our Readers have made the decision to show their support for the Waterloo Chronicle. It is our pleasure to provide the Waterloo area with a Community Newspaper. 630 RIVERBEND DRIVE, UNIT 104, KITCHENER, ON N2K 3S2 fOR MORE INfORMaTION Call 519-623-7395 ext. 260 Yes! I would like to contribute to the Waterloo ChroniclePlease find a cheque for $30 enclosed for a 1 year contribution. Signature: _________________________________________________________ Name: _____________________________________________________________ address: ___________________________________ City:___________________ Postal Code: ____________________________ Phone #: _______________________________ We Appreciate Your Support! "We've seen skunks, we've seen racoons, there's birds everywhere, and there's squirrels every- where, because all of it is ripped open as well," ex- plained Kristina. "I've been in contact with the town, they're saying they're doing everything they can, but it's still everywhere. Nothing's been cleaned up, they're just basically saying it's taking a long time, and there's noth- ing really else they can do. "It smells disgusting ev- ery time you walk outside." Kristina has been in con- stant contact with the City of Waterloo, but says the prob- lem remains and has not been solved, so nothing has been done about the issue and they are continuously reminded that it is a 'timely process'". Shayne Turner, Director of Municipal Enforcement at City of Waterloo, says the city completed a big clean- up on the property on Friday Nov. 9. He says the city made a recommendation to the property ownership, and that the ownership will be bearing the cost of the clean- up of the bins, and the out- side garbage, Turner says he hopes the cost will encour- age ownership to organize more frequent pick-up. Paul Miranda, Kristina's father, is frustrated as well with the lack of progress and unsanitary conditions. "Obviously it's very frus- trating when her apartment door is next to it, when she gets home and there is a skunk sitting outside there, or whatever other rodents are out there," Paul said. "It's a brand new building, and it should be managed a lot bet- ter than that, and the town should be a lot more on top of it. "She's been in contact with the bylaw officer, and he's been trying to help her out, saying he's got an order for (the building) to comply within a certain date, but why are we giving them weeks to do this? Give them a day, just like a parking tick- et. Your car's there, you get a ticket the same day." The rent in the new build- ing is $2,400 for a three-per- son unit. Kristina has been in con- tact with Sage, the tenant managers of the building, several times, but it hasn't helped bring about a proper cleanup of the area sur- rounding the student-inhab- ited building. "When she complained to the property management company, they kind of just brushed her off, they said they were looking after it, and they never did. A week later they cleaned a bit of it, but they never emptied the bins," said Paul. "If you call, no one takes responsibility for anything, they just brush everything off." "When I have contacted Sage, they have said multi- ple times, 'Yeah, we already know, other people have told us.' So they know it's hap- pening, so I'm assuming oth- er people are as well," Kristi- na said. Kristina says she's no- ticed a nearby Sage building on Albert Street has the same issue as well. "God forbid you park your car in the wrong spot, Sage has a person there, they have a bylaw guy there giving you a ticket right away over a parking spot," said Paul. He recalled when Kristi- na was parked in the wrong spot, and got a call the next day regarding the issue. "The bylaw officer will come there the same day if you call them about a park- ing spot, but when you have other issues, everybody kind of disappears," he said. "It seems like it's going to be an ongoing problem; and now God forbid it snows one day, it'll never get picked up." Kristina mentioned she has emailed Sage Living about four times, and has made a couple phone calls. Her last email was on Sun- day. According to her, Sage says that the property man- ager is responsible for the is- sue, but they wouldn't dis- close who that is. Milosz Mazan, who works for the developers of the building, In8 Develop- ments, says there isn't an is- sue though in disclosing the property manager, who are Wilson Blanchard Manage- ment. The building is owned by 33 owners as part of the Waterloo Standard Condo- minium Corporation (WSCC). In8 Developments works in cohesion with Sage build- ings across the city. "Ultimately, I think the bins are empty more often than full out of curiosity," said Mazan. "I did ask the condo management how of- ten they have the waste re- moval services employed, they stated they have booked for Monday, Wednesday, Fri- day. So I assume it's some ir- regular situation that's tak- ing place, it's not something that someone's neglecting, it must be some sort of mis- communication or some- thing along those lines, be- cause waste management does half the town, I don't think they're careless." Outside the property lie the moloks, a modern under- ground waste management system, and Mazan says a factor playing into the issue might be a lack of familiarity with them. "Some people might not like to touch the lid, and pick it up and throw out the gar- bage, and it only takes a few garbage bags in front of the molok for the waste manage- ment folks to deem it (and say) 'OK, there's garbage in front of the molok, per policy I'm not going to drive through it just to get the bin out, I'm going to report back to office and they're going to let the condo management firm know that the bin was inaccessible for removal of the garbage.' " 'WE'VE SEEN SKUNKS, WE'VE SEEN RACOONS, THERE'S BIRDS EVERYWHERE' A garbage pile has been an ongoing issue for tenants at 288 Albert St. in Waterloo. Kristina Miranda NEWS THE ISSUE: GARBAGE PILES UP AT WATERLOO APARTMENT LOCAL IMPACT: STUDENTS CONCERNED ABOUT RATS, DISEASE STORY BEHIND THE STORY Students reach out to deal with trash pile Continued from page 1