Inspection of ODU private dorm gives troubling results

NORFOLK

When city officials arrived last month at a private dormitory that houses more than 900 Old Dominion University students, and which has been the site of several armed robberies and drug deals, they found unauthorized people entering the building, malfunctioning fire alarms and no security at the front door.

It took 20 minutes for inspectors to locate two unarmed security guards, according to the report written by Deputy City Attorney Cynthia Hall.

Derek Anderson, a partner in the Houston-based firm Residential Housing Development, which owns The District at ODU, disputes the veracity of the report.

"Much of what is in the report is factually inaccurate," he said. The fire alarm was working and security was adequate, he said, adding that he has implemented all of the suggestions made by the city and ODU to improve safety at the dorm.

The city's inspection, conducted Aug. 20, came a week after The District's owner changed management companies and as crime and student safety have become high-profile issues. As ODU has shed its status as primarily a commuter school, more students are moving into nearby neighborhoods that have relatively high crime rates. Robberies and assaults on students have increased, according to crime statistics.

In June, ODU junior Christopher Cummings was shot and killed in a house he rented. The armed robberies and break-ins - in some cases committed by students - prompted ODU to beef up its security and neighbors to hold community meetings on the issue.

City officials inspected The District because of complaints from students' parents about fire alarms routinely being pulled, criminal incidents and students holding parties in which admission was charged, Hall wrote in her report.

The District, which opened between 38th and 39th streets in the fall of 2010, is a two-building complex surrounded largely by industrial businesses on the southern end of ODU's campus. Although The District is intended only for ODU students, the university does not manage the property.

The city report indicates that the night the officials visited, the two security guards had company cellphones that were programmed in a way that "in the event of an emergency they would have difficulty contacting help." Security was also "supposed to be sitting at a security desk at the front door."

Hall wrote that she and others watched as a student who lives at the dorm allowed about 10 other people unauthorized entry through the front door.

The resident manager responsible for the dorm the night of the officials' visit was not on-site, the report indicates. When he showed up, the report says, he told Hall that "we ruined his buzz and his night out on Granby Street."

He could not reset the fire alarm, which was in "test mode" and not operating, the report says.

Hall said she planned to raise with the dorm's management "the serious public safety issues observed and the perceived nonchalance in addressing fire and security issues in a complex housing so many students and guests."

A copy of the report, written Aug. 22, was obtained by The Virginian-Pilot from two city staffers. Last month, Assistant City Attorney Tasha Scott denied a Freedom of Information request from The Virginian-Pilot asking for a copy of the report, citing two portions of the state code allowing the city to withhold documents that relate to an ongoing criminal investigation.

Anderson said he is "completely unaware of any criminal investigation. I've heard nothing about that and would be shocked if that were the case."

He said he flew to Norfolk to meet with city and ODU officials last week.

Hall did not respond to several phone calls and emails to her office this week.

Mayor Paul Fraim said the city and ODU officials are working with The District's managers.

"I understand the ownership disputes some of the findings, but I think we'll be able to work all of this out," he said.

The city attorney's office provided copies of four fire code citations issued to the manager on duty that mandated a fire watch, that an emergency call box be repaired and that a professional create a fire safety plan.

The report indicates the alarm company could not reset the alarm remotely. Security guards arrived while inspectors were talking with the alarm company.

"They indicated they are the only two guards for this complex which has 330 units, 900 students, and at any given time, thousands of guests," Hall wrote.

However, Anderson said, city inspectors misinterpreted an error code, which indicated that just one sprinkler head, and not the entire system, may have been down.

The fire watch required The District to bring in additional security personnel to maintain a watch for potential fires on each floor.

"It cost us thousands of dollars," Anderson said. "But I understand erring on the side of caution."

Ellen Neufeldt, ODU's vice president for student engagement and enrollment services, said The District's owners fired the company that managed the dormitory earlier this summer.

Campus Apartments, a national firm that specializes in running private dormitories, had been in charge of The District a week before the city inspection, Anderson said.

Neufeldt said the new management group has rectified all of the issues outlined in the city report.

City Councilman Barclay C. Winn said he was shocked when he read the report.

"For their own investment, and for the quality of life for the students, I'm surprised they weren't better prepared," he said. "I'm glad to hear they've made changes. It sounds like they needed to."

Bobby Benson, a senior from Chester, said he was concerned about the dorm's safety last school year. His concerns included false fire alarms, robberies and assaults in the complex. So far, the only issues that have occurred this year have been a handful of false fire alarms, he said.

Josh Peek, a sophomore from Springfield, called The District "one of the nicest places I've ever lived."

"I love it here," he said.

However, he and other ODU students said they were unaware of the issues found during the city's inspection

Kristi Everetts, a sophomore from Stafford, said she feels safe at The District, but only because she is cautious.

"I'm not from around here, but I'm not dumb enough to walk around this neighborhood at 3 a.m.," she said. "You're just asking for trouble if you do that."

Harry Minium, (757) 446-2371, harry.minium@pilotonline.com