EVICTIONS RISE AT TROUBLED APARTMENTS

Three months and 13 evictions after his firm took over management of
Davenport's Courtland Apartments, Joe Overton of Van Rooy Properties says
the sometimes-troubled complex finally is starting to experience some calm.

The number of police calls and extra patrols to the 36-unit building at
321-327 E. 7th St., have dropped dramatically from highs in July and
August, according to figures from the police department. There is a new
on-site manager and 24-hour-a-day security.

Tenants have also been put on notice that drug activity will not be
tolerated, Overton said. A police arrest for possession or sale of illegal
drugs or involvement of one of the building's apartments in such activity
is grounds for eviction.

"They have to guarantee to us that they will take no part in drug
activity," he said. "If there are drugs found in an apartment or it is used
to aid in any way that kind of activity, the tenant will be evicted."

Drug use and sales were thought to be at the center of complaints about
crime and violence that came from the Courtland in the spring and summer.
Police held meetings with tenants and managers about the problems, and city
legal staff began preparing a notice requiring the owner, Partnership for
Affordable Housing, to abate a crime nuisance there.

City fire inspectors also got into the act. In August, they required a
24-hour-a-day fire watch inside the building after an alarm system was
found to be inoperable. Problems with the system were traced to vandalism
and neglect.

But most of the problems have been fixed, city officials said. The fire
alarm system is repaired and working. There are not nearly as many people
hanging out in front of the four-story building and the number of crime and
nuisance calls has dropped off considerably.

Compared with August, when police logged 51 calls to the building and
initiated 68 extra patrols there, there were only 10 calls to the building
and 14 extra police patrols in October. During the first half of November,
there were five calls to police, all for minor incidents, and eight extra
patrols.

"They seem to be trying to take care of the problems," said Greg Hoover,
who manages housing and neighborhood development projects for the city.
"They've had round-the-clock security and they've done some environmental
work, cleaning up and eliminating hiding places. We haven't heard any
recent complaints."

Kevin Cooks has lived in an apartment in the building for about a year. In
the past two months, things have been relatively quiet at the building, he
said as his small son played in the doorway of his unit. A busy work
schedule allowed him to avoid much of the turmoil at the building, he added.

"It's more regular here now," he said. "But we're getting ready to move. I
don't like all the conflict there's been around here. We're thinking of
getting a house. I'm tired of living in apartments."

Pat Egly, who lives across Iowa Street from the building and has kept close
tabs on the Courtland with regular reports to management and city
officials, has also noticed that things have quieted down. She attributed
that in part to the large number of vacant apartments.

She is concerned that there is no live-in manager who can handle problems
24 hours a day. Without one, things can get out of hand, she believes. A
live-in manager puts tenants on notice that someone is always watching, she
said.

Egly also would like to see security lights on the outside of the building,
surveillance cameras in some hallways and some type of electronic system
that lets the building management know when a door to the outside has been
left open, she said.

She plans to continue keeping an eye on the Courtland, Egly said. If she
and other neighbors do not, "we could have back what we had before and we
sure don't want that. I get the sense they have been trying to do something
positive with the building."

The evictions, all for nonpayment of rent, and some tenants who have moved
have left 15 vacant apartments at the Courtland, Overton said. For the
building to break even, it needs to maintain an occupancy rate of about 95
percent.

Van Rooy is using all of the tools available "to make sure our building
runs smoothly and to be sure that our good tenants are protected," Overton
said. That will help the building shake its negative image and boost occupancy.

"We just wanted a little time and wanted the heat of the moment to
subside," Overton said of the summer turmoil surrounding the Courtland.
"But it's been extremely satisfying to see what has been happening there.
We're not done yet. We want to see the building filled up and then maintained."