Solutions slow to come for Suring apartments

The Suring Non-Profit Housing Corporation met on Thursday to discuss its ownership of the deteriorating Pioneer Villa apartments, 415 N. Mill St. The corporation for months has looked for funding to make major repairs to the building’s roof and to address other structural issues. It has also considered changing the management firm overseeing the property or selling the complex, where residents have complained about a leaky roof, cockroach infestation and overall building deterioration. Manager Ken DePouw, of Housing Management Services, of Oconto, said it is a constant struggle to maintain financial viability for upkeep because it is a government-funded property. Village officials have threatened to condemn the building if substandard living conditions are not corrected. Earlier this summer, NEWCAP expressed interest in owning, managing and repairing the complex but has since backed away, citing cuts in funding. NEWCAP is a private, nonprofit agency that assists low-income residents. Earl Charlton and Marion Kroscher, co-owners of Woodland Village Nursing Center in Suring, expressed interest in managing the apartment building and purchasing an eight-unit building also owned by the Non-Profit Housing Corporation. According to corporation member Cindy Zahn, the corporation turned down the purchase offer, not wanting to sell one unit but not the other. She said the corporation plans to meet on Monday to discuss possible purchase and management options with Charlton and Kroscher.