GENESEO – A leaky exhaust pipe in a gas furnace at a sorority house temporarily sent the residents scrambling for emergency housing. What followed was a headache of negotiations and repairs.
That was the case for the residents on 14 Wadsworth Road, who had their house tagged on October 20th by the Code Enforcement Office of the Village of Geneseo. When their carbon monoxide detector went off on Sunday night, the residents called the fire department, and first responders determined that a clogged chimney and faulty exhaust piping had combined to create potentially deadly carbon monoxide levels. The gas supply was turned off for 24 hours while crucial repairs were made.
“The whole process has been exhausting, and even a little scary,” said Emma Rasmussen, 21, a senior and resident of 14 Wadsworth Road. “The initial wait outside our house in the cold, having our house be condemned, negotiating with our landlord, and the possibility of having to look for another place to live was extremely stressful. But we’re trying to be proactive and using this to implement some changes in our house.”
The quick response was due in part to a new regulation put in place at town and state levels in the past six to eight years. Students have been safer over that time partly because landlords are required to register with town offices, and agree to have their residences inspected every three years.
“I’m a father too, and it is important to ensure off-campus residents safety,” said Dean O’Keefe, Code Enforcement Officer for Geneseo. “The office has requested that the landlord submit papers verifying proper work has been done, and we will return in a few weeks to the household to ensure that changes have been implemented.”
The girls moved back into their house Monday night after their house was updated.
From your friends at the GeneseeSun.com, don’t forget to check up on maintenance of boilers and carbon monoxide detectors.