Mega-Developer Brady Sullivan Hit with More Allegations
Thursday, May 10, 2018
New allegations are piling up against mega-developer Brady Sullivan for its management and corresponding health and safety claims against the company.
Now, a physician who has evaluated a large group of patients at Brady Sullivan’s Harris Mills Loft and alleges that the building poses a significant health concern is asking the Department of Health to take action.
In addition, GoLocal has confirmed that the State’s Fire Marshall has been deployed this week to inspect the building. The concerns about the building include that there are no fire stops between floors. Fire stops are required by regulation in Rhode Island by regulation to ensure fires do not jump from floor to floor.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTA spokesman for RI’s Department of Business Regulation confirmed to GoLocal in an email that complaints had been filed with the state and an inspection was being conducted, “Officials from State Fire and Building in coordination with local authorities will be conducting inspections at the Harris Mill complex. At this time, I can not provide any further information because of the ongoing nature of the investigation.”
Physician S. David Miller in a letter to RI Department of Health Director Nicole Alexander-Scott writes, “As a licensed RI physician I have a concern about a cluster of over 100 patients I have evaluated who are residing [at] a Brady Sullivan property. In my medical evaluation of these patients, I have observed patients who being diagnosed with allergic rhinitis, asthma, hyperreactive airway disease as well as patients who are showing signs of serum pneumonitis to both mold and avian precipitins.”
The physician is pressing the RI Department of Health's Director Alexander-Scott to immediately conduct an investigation.
State Senator Calls for Town to Investigate
Senator Leonidas Raptakis is calling for the Coventry Town Council to examine conditions of the controversial Harris Mill Lofts and developer Brady Sullivan.
“The potentially dangerous conditions of the Harris Mill Lofts and the lack of any corrective action on the part of the developer, Brady Sullivan, has been extensively detailed in the media, and the residents of this deficient facility deserve to live in a building that does not impose danger to their well-being and health. And due to the widespread knowledge of these problems, I found it particularly disingenuous that Council President Shibley claimed that no formal complaints have been made against Brady Sullivan, especially since I have enclosed numerous such complaints that date back several years,” said Senator Raptakis.
EPA Investigation
Last week, GoLocal reported that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has confirmed to GoLocalProv that the federal agency is investigating lead contamination at Brady Sullivan's Harris Mills Lofts complex in Coventry.
Molly Magoon, an Enforcement Officer in the Boston office of the EPA’s Region 1, said the investigation is ongoing.
Brady Sullivan’s spokeswoman Patti Doyle told GoLocal last week, “We have received no recent notification from the EPA. That said, we have been and will continue to be responsive to any regulatory or government entity. We welcome any and all reviews of our properties.”
When asked about earlier notifications regarding investigations in Rhode Island, Doyle said, “We received last summer a request for documents which we provided and then never heard anything further.”
EPA Previously Fined Brady Sullivan
This is not the first time the EPA has taken action against Brady Sullivan.
“The U.S. EPA finalized a settlement agreement with two N.H. companies for their alleged failure to follow lead-safe work practices and provide proper lead paint disclosure to tenants at a residential property in Manchester, N.H. The agreement ensures that Brady Sullivan Millworks II, LLC and Brady Sullivan Millworks IV, LLC (Brady Sullivan) of Manchester, N.H will comply with federal rules ensuring lead-safe work practices and proper disclosure of information pertaining to lead paint, thus protecting the health of building occupants,” wrote the EPA in a April 2017 press release announcing the enforcement action
According to the EPA, “Under the terms of the agreement, Brady Sullivan will pay a penalty of $90,461 for its violations of the federal Real Estate Notification and Disclosure (Disclosure) and Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rules and will certify that it is currently in compliance with these Rules. These violations occurred at a four-story, historical mill building known as "The Lofts at Mill West" or "Mill West" located at 195 McGregor Street in Manchester.”
At the time of the EPA enforcement action Brady Sullivan told the Manchester Union Leader, "Brady Sullivan is extremely sorry and embarrassed that the events occurred which led up to the action announced by the EPA today.”
Doyle did not respond to question if the company had a pattern of behavior as it relates to lead contamination issue in New England.
Presently, in Rhode Island, more than 100 former and present tenant of the rehabbed mill complex have claimed that they have been adversely impacted mold in the building and a group of the tenants have sued Brady Sullivan for tens of millions.
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