Tenants urged to show appreciation for rebuilt apartments

By Bobby “Six 9” Bradford 
In June, 2013, something joyous and wonderful began taking place on the river side of the railroad in Batesville, on both Lester and Leonard Streets.

Everyone knows the story by now. All of the apartments were being torn down and rebuilt — not remodeled but rebuilt — the walls, the ceilings, the floors.

Skyview Apartments, as it has been known since it was built in the 1970s, is now under new ownership. It is now being run by Preservation Management. They retained the property manager, Vonnie Carroll. She is the best manager those apartments ever had, so no one complained when the new owners asked her to stay on.

I am a tenant of the Skyview Apartments. We started hearing in early 2012 the talk that the renovation was going to take place. All of us didn’t believe it. All of the previous managers seemed like all they cared about was collecting the monthly rent.

All those years the apartments look like cow barns. The walls looked like they had about ten layers of dirt on them. We were ashamed to have people come to our apartment. Remember, I am a tenant there so I’m not making this up.

Several years ago one morning I got up and fixed bacon and eggs for breakfast and then remembered that I had not cleaned out the bathtub after I bathed. When I returned to the kitchen after cleaning out the bathtub, I went to the table and found a piece of bacon missing. 

I looked around on the floor and saw that two roaches were carrying the piece of bacon away — one on each end.

I know my family is clean, but it didn’t matter. That’s just how pathetic those apartments were. But we are in the new ones now with central air and heat. 

It’s going to be up to the tenants to keep the apartments up. Kids are going to be kids, but if adults see kids throw paper on the ground, just ask the kid to pick it up. Tell them it’s wrong; they will pick it up. I have asked them.

Also, there are play grounds for the kids. Parents are supposed to supervise the kids while they are in these play areas, but most of the parents will send the kids out to play while they remain inside.

Remember, kids are going to be kids. They are going to get into fights while playing, and the parents are going to take their own kids’ sides. And then parents will get in to it.

But we adults have to think or else you will forget how these people made your place of living something to be proud of. These people didn’t have to do this.

Just think about how quickly they have done the job. By July, 2014!

But for Ms. Carroll and her workers, it has been a long, long process. Thanks to them, and to the new owners.