GroWest Investigation Continues; Residents Speaking Out
By: Rachel Polansky
Updated: August 16, 2012
Digging deeper in the GroWest mess - Instead of restoring abandoned
houses and helping homeowners repair their homes, some say GroWest took
advantage of the poor and elderly. Off the Top tonight, Eyewitness News
reporter Rachel Polansky spoke with Utica residents that say GroWest
took advantage of them. She joins us live, Rachel, what are the latest
details?
It's a sad story that seems to be getting worse. I spoke with Utica residents who say GroWest destroyed their homes and destroyed their lives. Tonight, I'm showing you a deeper look at what some call the damage left behind by GroWest.
"I never thought that, that would happen," says Catherine Albison, Utica resident.
"Everything that they replaced needs to be replaced and then some," says Lori Washburn, Utica resident.
Dozens of Utica residents say they've been victimized by GroWest. They say an organization designed to help homeowners ended up hurting them.
"Ha what would I say about them? I think that was bad what they did, it's not right," says Albison.
"And it caused even more rot and even more damage," says Washburn.
Lori Washburn received a grant from GroWest to replace a porch roof and she was not happy with the job.
"It was very shotty, half-assed, and it's kind of an insult to a homeowner," says Washburn.
From a distance this porch looks fine, but when you take a closer look, Lori says the paint is peeling, the wood is rotting, and she worries about her safety this coming Winter.
"Everything will ice over and the weather will be a big factor. All they did was camouflage it and it's caused further damage and bigger damage," says Washburn.
But at least Lori got some work done. Another resident says GroWest built a wheelchair ramp on her house, then one night, without notice, they took the ramp down and never replaced it.
"I got up in the morning to go out and it was gone. And that's all I heard of it. They never came back, I don't know where the wood went or anything and that was it," says Albison.
Albison thinks GroWest took advantage of her because of her age.
"A lot of people can't deal with old people and I think that's wrong. We have rights too, but evidentially, we don't get them all," says Albison.
At tonight's Finance Committee Meeting in City Hall, the Corporation Council says the GroWest case is both a civil and criminal investigation. They say it could take years before action is taken. Some city councilmen are not accepting this without a fight - they're asking to see copies of the GroWest report and they want answers. But at this point, they're asking victims of GroWest to come forward and hoping that might make a difference.
It's a sad story that seems to be getting worse. I spoke with Utica residents who say GroWest destroyed their homes and destroyed their lives. Tonight, I'm showing you a deeper look at what some call the damage left behind by GroWest.
"I never thought that, that would happen," says Catherine Albison, Utica resident.
"Everything that they replaced needs to be replaced and then some," says Lori Washburn, Utica resident.
Dozens of Utica residents say they've been victimized by GroWest. They say an organization designed to help homeowners ended up hurting them.
"Ha what would I say about them? I think that was bad what they did, it's not right," says Albison.
"And it caused even more rot and even more damage," says Washburn.
Lori Washburn received a grant from GroWest to replace a porch roof and she was not happy with the job.
"It was very shotty, half-assed, and it's kind of an insult to a homeowner," says Washburn.
From a distance this porch looks fine, but when you take a closer look, Lori says the paint is peeling, the wood is rotting, and she worries about her safety this coming Winter.
"Everything will ice over and the weather will be a big factor. All they did was camouflage it and it's caused further damage and bigger damage," says Washburn.
But at least Lori got some work done. Another resident says GroWest built a wheelchair ramp on her house, then one night, without notice, they took the ramp down and never replaced it.
"I got up in the morning to go out and it was gone. And that's all I heard of it. They never came back, I don't know where the wood went or anything and that was it," says Albison.
Albison thinks GroWest took advantage of her because of her age.
"A lot of people can't deal with old people and I think that's wrong. We have rights too, but evidentially, we don't get them all," says Albison.
At tonight's Finance Committee Meeting in City Hall, the Corporation Council says the GroWest case is both a civil and criminal investigation. They say it could take years before action is taken. Some city councilmen are not accepting this without a fight - they're asking to see copies of the GroWest report and they want answers. But at this point, they're asking victims of GroWest to come forward and hoping that might make a difference.
