“Hell and chaotic” | Calvin Mowbray apartments residents allege health hazards, lack of care for conditions

UPDATE: A response from a spokesperson for the Calvin Mowbray Park apartment complex was added to this article on Nov. 25, 2024.

CAMBRIDGE, Md. – Residents of the Calvin Mowbray Park apartment complex in Cambridge allege that conditions are causing health hazards. Even more, they say their complaints aren’t being taken seriously.

Conditions Concerns

De’Auntee Clark is just one of the residents who tells WMDT that dangerous exposure to mold and a lack of proper maintenance are wreaking havoc on her family’s life. Clark and her family moved into the complex in 2022, but it wasn’t long before she started noticing concerning conditions.

“Within five days of me moving here, I was putting food away—the seasonings—in the cabinet, and I noticed mold in every cabinet along the wall where the refrigerator was,” Clark remembers.

Clark says she immediately reported the mold to the management office and was assured they would complete mold testing. A maintenance man came to clean the mold, but the testing never came, Clark says. “I was concerned about it because I have a son that has acute respiratory disease.”

Marred by Mold and Mildew

The problems didn’t stop after property management agreed to let Clark and her family move into a different unit, she says.

“I noticed black spots coming up on the wall after cutting the heat on. A couple of weeks after that, my son ended up getting real sick. He got airlifted across the [Bay] Bridge. My son flatlined in the air… When he woke up, he had to learn how to walk again. You have a 14-year-old walking around with a walker,” Clark said.

Clark and her family were supposed to move into a third unit, but it was condemned before they got the chance. However, she says the damage had already been done from living in the previous two.

“I started noticing mold on my belongings. My skin was peeling, I was coughing, had headaches, my ears were hurting,” Clark said. “I left on November 3rd after my third unit got condemned. All within the same property. They just move you to a different unit.”

“It’s just been hell and chaotic living here.”

The situation was then at a breaking point, Clark says.

Even though the management company promised to move Clark to another complex, she now lives in between worlds: the new unit is in a different county, while the old unit still contains many of her belongings, marred by mold and mildew. The hotel that she was supposed to stay at in the interim, Clark says, was never paid by the company.

“We did come back and stayed for four days. And, in those four days, my son ended up back in [the hospital],” Clark said. “I just went back to the allergist on November 20th, and she cut the light on my skin again and I still have mold on my skin—the residue of mold.”

Clark says she placed her rent in escrow, and the judge ruled in her favor. She adds that while the management company is now allowing her to officially break her lease at no cost, that’s simply not enough. Clark wants to see a complete investigation and remediation of the conditions for the sake of her former neighbors.

“It’s just been hell and chaotic living here,” Clark said. “What are y’all doing? Painting over [the mold] is not going to solve the problem. Y’all need to cut the walls open and take the insulation out.”

City Responds

Cambridge Commission President Lajan Cephas says the City is aware of the situation and is working with code enforcement. Mold remediation units could be seen at the apartment complex on Thursday.

“They actually have taken some action on some of the properties, but I just want to make everyone aware that the City is working with Calvin Mowbray Park so we can make our residents safe, and feel secure at home,” Cephas said.

Cephas encourages residents who think they may have been affected to reach out to property management and code enforcement. She added that documentation is important. Meanwhile, Cephas says the City is working on its Healthy Homes initiative, which utilizes federal funding to mitigate mold and lead.

“We want to be a full and active partner to make sure that all of our residents are safe at home,” Cephas said. “It’s just a matter of once the resolution has been completed, I think we’ll have some happy residents, but as of right now, it’s a work in progress.”

Looking Ahead

Clark, however, is calling for immediate action.

“It’s absurd that we’re being forced to live under these conditions when they’re telling us that they’re fixing it,” Clark said. “Really, they’re just putting bandages over it, covering it up, and moving us to another unit.”

Calvin Mowbray Spokesperson Responds

On Nov. 23, 2024 a spokesperson for the apartment complex reached out to WMDT providing further information in response to Clark’s allegations. Spokesperson Ed Cafasso wrote in part quote:

“Ownership and management of the community and quickly and consistently responded to Ms. Clark’s concerns and has moved her family to new accommodations twice, while also investigating and addressing her concerns. We are now preparing to move the household for a third time; this time to a completely renovated apartment that has passed professional moisture and air quality tests and that will be inspected and approved by the City of Cambridge.”

Cafasso went on to state that “we” have been working with the Cambridge Building Safety Services Department “on this matter from the beginning.”

In the statement, Cafasso added that Clark had reported her initial concerns after living in the unit for nearly a year and that she was moved to a temporary unit within four days of making the complaint. After Clark reported similar concerns in that second unit, Cafasso says she and her family were moved to a hotel in Howard County at her request.

More than two weeks later, Cafasso wrote, a city inspector checked out Clark’s first unit, and declared it to be safe. Cafasso stated that Clark was moved back into that unit at ownership’s expense. On November 19th, Cafasso stated a judge denied Clark’s emergency request to be moved into another unit, as there was no evidence of safety issues.

Clark is scheduled to move into a new apartment on November 25th, Cafasso stated.

“The unit has been completely renovated – rugs have been removed; hard flooring has been installed; drywall damage has been repaired; new appliances have been installed; and the unit has been completely repainted. All tests of air and moisture content in that unit have come back negative for any health concerns,” Cafasso stated. “The health and safety of the residents at Calvin Mowbray Apartments are our top priorities, and we have gone above and beyond to respond to Ms. Clark’s claims and to accommodate her family.”