NORTHAMPTON — The community room at Forsander Apartments remains closed, nearly two months after it was shuttered, due to a persistent bedbug infestation.
“We have not eradicated from the whole property,” said Cara Leiper, executive director of the Northampton Housing Authority.
Leiper said that while the community room in the Florence affordable housing complex has been treated for bedbugs and is now bedbug free, one resident has refused treatment for their apartment.
The housing authority is now going through the legal process to gain access to the resident’s apartment to clean it and treat it for bedbugs.
“We’re all suffering for one person,” said Peter Cushing, the president of the tenant’s association at Forsander.
Leiper has said that the community room has been closed off to keep it from being re-infested. Cushing said that he supports this measure.
“We don’t want to take that chance,” Cushing said of reopening the room.
Still, Cushing said that the community is missed by the residents, “Especially in foul weather.”
The housing authority has been dealing with a bedbug issue at Forsander since December, and the community room has been treated once before. The community room was closed on March 22, Leiper said, after an exterminator found a bedbug there the previous day.
Leiper said that an inspection of the property found that every space beside the one that has refused treatment is bedbug free. The inspection was on April 26, according to Jack Redman, senior manager of section 8 and public housing for the NHA.
“We had no bedbugs in any other units,” Leiper said.
A court date is set for May 20, Leiper said, and a cleaning has been scheduled for that date as well. She also said that bedbug treatment has been scheduled for the infested unit May 21.
“Once it is bedbug free, then we can reopen,” said Leiper.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.