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Court-appointed receiver reports major heating, management and financial problems at Success Village Apartments
Summary
Barry Knott, receiver for Success Village Apartments, told the Stratford Town Council the court-appointed receivership uncovered dangerous boiler conditions, inadequate hot water, alleged sabotage, missing bank records and numerous lawsuits affecting the 924-unit complex. He outlined short-term repairs and a costly long-term plan.
Barry Knott, the court-appointed receiver for Success Village Apartments, told the Stratford Town Council on Oct. 15 that the complex faces immediate and long-term housing and infrastructure challenges.
Knott said he was appointed by Superior Court Judge Dale Radcliffe on Sept. 24, 2024, after litigation and a bankruptcy filing. He described the property as including 924 residential units across 97 buildings housing roughly 2,500 people, and said many residents lacked heat and hot water when he took over.
"The state boiler inspector came down here and shut it down because the boilers were dangerous," Knott said, describing three feet of water in the boiler room and gas piping submerged and showing visible failures. He said engineers identified five original boilers (built around the 1940s), and contractors judged three of them reparable for the near term while two replacement boilers were being sourced from out of state.
Knott described short-term steps taken: re-engaging a prior management company, contracting Edgerton HVAC and J A M HVAC to restore heat and hot water, installing a rental boiler in the parking lot (which he said has been undersized), and bringing two larger boilers expected to arrive and be installed in two to three weeks.
For longer-term reliability, Knott said every building would eventually need its own boiler — a plan he estimated could cost about $20 million. He acknowledged that funding at that scale is not immediately available and said the team will pursue state, federal or other sources.
Knott also raised financial and operational problems tied to the prior administration and vendors. He said there are dozens of pending court cases involving Success Village, described difficulties obtaining bank records from several banks and said he had filed or planned contempt motions to compel records. He also alleged incidents of sabotage at the property that disrupted temporary heating equipment and said Bridgeport police collected statements but had not resolved the matter.
On resident protections, Knott criticized foreclosure practices under prior management and said he will seek alternatives to evicting residents for relatively small arrears. He described a pending labor dispute and an NLRB-related case in the Second Circuit affecting collective-bargaining arrangements entered by the previous operator.
The Town Attorney invited Knott to return for future updates and the council asked that follow-up questions be submitted to the clerk for consolidated responses.
The council did not take any formal action on the receivership report during the meeting; members were invited to submit questions afterward.
