Serenity Towers back in court after power surge outage

MEMPHIS, Tenn — Representatives for Serenity Towers were back in the courtroom Thursday morning after a power surge left all of the elevators out of service for days again.

Special Master Marcus D. Ward called for the hearing after a power surge last week took out the AC, water heater, and elevators.

“So, we called a setting to make sure everyone understood what the issues were, obtain the status of where we were, and what needed to be done to get a timeframe on when they’re going to be done,” said Ward.

He says all four elevators were fixed three to four days after they went out.

However, code enforcement says the AC and the water heater are still not up to code.

A representative for Serenity told the judge management informed him before the hearing the air had been corrected, but he had no further details.

The judge acknowledged this is not the first time a power surge has occurred at the complex.

Ward says they have temporary solutions to address the issues when they happen which include boil water advisories and temporary air conditioning window units or fans.

“The biggest part about all of this is notifying the tenants and letting them know what’s going on,” said Ward. “This is a 60-year-old building. It’s going to have its comprises.”

Another temporary solution Ward suggested for when the elevators are down is having a private ambulance service available on-site to assist tenants who are disabled or elderly.

“Some of the residents sometimes just need someone to help them in the event the elevators break down get downstairs just to access their doctor’s appointment or do something that’s not necessarily considered a medical emergency,” said Ward.

The judge gave Serenity time to respond to that option.

Ward says while they have several temporary fixes, he’s still looking at the greater picture.

“The maintenance plan is there to say what happens when things break down, but the ultimate goal is to make a full assessment and say this particular item is broken down for a certain period of time,” said Ward. “It’s time to replace it. What’s it going to cost?”

Ward says a sweep of the entire building to address all issues is expected to happen later this year.

A date for the sweep will be determined during the next court hearing on September 19.

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