Council to approve $510k for emergency repairs at Candlewood, Northbridge shelters

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin City Council is expected to sign off next week on emergency construction contracts for the Pecan Gardens shelter -- formerly the Candlewood Suites hotel -- and the Northbridge shelter, with a price tag of half a million dollars.

According to council documents, Belfor USA Group, Inc. responded to both of the locations for water damage.

They're owed $510,312, nearly $80,000 of which will come from the Capital Improvement Program budget and the remaining funding from Austin Public Health's capital budget.

Pecan Gardens shelter

According to documents, staff found the Pecan Gardens property had been vandalized on May 9, 2022.

The vandalization resulted in pipes being cut or broken which led to "extensive water damage in multiple rooms and hallways."

The company was asked to clear the water and debris out of the former hotel and then "used air mover/carpet blowers, dehumidifiers, air filtration unites, and moisture meters to ensure the building was restored to normal moisture levels for safe and health operations," according to documents.

The former hotel was purchased by the City of Austin using 2018 affordable housing bond dollars in 2021. In June 2022, Austin City Council approved a contract with Family Eldercare to operate the property, which has not yet opened.

Northbridge shelter

According to documents, the Northbridge shelter had its fire suppression system go off on both Dec. 1, 2021 and Feb. 15, 2022. Then, on Nov. 12, 2022, a pipe broke in the ceiling of the third floor of the building.

All three of those incidents required emergency repairs, according to the documents.

Unlike the shelter at Pecan Gardens, the Northbridge shelter is already in operation, being used by the City of Austin to temporarily house people as a part of its Housing-Focused Encampment Assistance Link (HEAL) initiative.

The City of Austin bought the building, which used to be a Country Inn & Suites, in January 2021.

"Additional building restoration services were required to rebuild walls, ceilings, and flooring in order to restore all rooms at the property for ongoing use as a bridge shelter for persons experiencing homelessness," documents said.