Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Conditions topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Tenant alleges repeated leaks and mold at Atrium Lofts; hearing moved to closed session
Summary
A tenant at Atrium Lofts testified at a rent abatement hearing that multiple windows and a bedroom floor have leaked since she moved in July 2023, producing mold; the landlord said contractors were engaged and offered unit transfers; the city inspector documented the problem and issued a citation; committee went into closed session to deliberate.
The Wausau Public Health & Safety Committee held a rent abatement hearing over claims of persistent water intrusion and mold at Atrium Lofts, 1418 North First Street, Apartment 105.
Tenant Viviane Diaz de Azevedo Dias Gomes told the committee she and her family have experienced repeated, heavy leaks since moving in on July 13, 2023. She presented video and photo evidence showing windows and, in one bedroom, floor‑level water intrusion she described as “like a faucet that was open.” She said the leaks force her to move furniture on rain days to avoid damage, that mold has appeared on ceilings and that an electrical outlet was affected. She said she had repeatedly reported the problem to the building manager and that city inspections had occurred but the problem persisted. She declined relocation offers previously extended by management because she was in the middle of immigration paperwork and did not want to change her address.
Property manager Joe Siegel, speaking for Paramount Real Estate (Atrium Lofts), said management implemented a progressive repair strategy—initial mitigation followed by contractor evaluations and larger exterior repairs as recommended. Siegel said contractors including Rim Mountain Glass, AC Handyman Services, Quality Roofing, AA Seamless and Prestige Roofing had been engaged and that the company has invoices and work orders; he said the firm had offered the tenants identical units in the building at the same rent but that the tenants declined.
Inspector Adam Maulson of the city inspections department described his July 24, 2025 visit and photographs showing five windows with damaged interior trim consistent with water intrusion and masonry/tuckpointing degradation on the exterior window ledges above the unit. Maulson said the department sent an initial letter the day of inspection and issued a municipal citation on Aug. 13, 2025 (code section cited for window and door frames free from dampness). He said he still observed active dripping at a recent visit and identified small mold patches on the ceiling.
Committee members questioned whether other units reported leaks (none had been reported), whether the repairs targeted this unit specifically and whether roof or structural tests had been performed; city staff said some exterior tuckpointing was done in August but that vendor schedules had caused delays. The landlord provided an exhibit summary and some contractor invoices; the inspector said he had not been shown documentation of repairs during his field visits.
The chair closed the public hearing portion and the committee voted to move into closed session under Wisconsin Statute 19.85(1)(a) to deliberate. No final abatement decision was announced in open session.
Next steps: The committee will deliberate in closed session and is expected to announce its decision when it returns to open session.
