TULSA, Okla. — Long before our recent ferocious storms that knocked out power for thousands across the area, we heard complaints from residents at a south Tulsa public housing complex that lights in the parking lot weren’t working properly.
It’s in what some consider a sketchy part of town.
That complex was once run by the Tulsa Housing Authority but is now under new out-of-state ownership.
Vanessa Dixon told us by the light of day; it feels somewhat safe walking the parking lot at Inhofe Plaza near 61st and Riverside.
But by the dark of night, when it’s pitch black, as Vanessa describes it, navigating the parking lot with only one working light, she tells us, feels like running the gauntlet.
“I sometimes work late and come in at midnight, and it’s very scary, very scary.”
Vanessa says the parking lot lights worked fine, for the most part, until an accident in the area knocked out power to nearby homes and businesses and Inhofe Plaza.
The lights eventually came on inside, Vanessa says, but the parking lot lights never came back on for days, she told us, even though she tells us she complained and complained.
She told us she felt in danger.
“I do, I do, it’s like people say, why don’t you move, but it’s not that easy to move. I do thank God for a roof over my head.”
Thankful for that roof, but security is important too, Vanessa says, especially in what some says is already a shady part of town.
“Thank God I believe in the Lord, and he’s watching over me, but that didn’t mean it’s ok not to have lights on the property, you know.”
But when she felt her complaints fell on deaf ears, she contacted the Problem Solvers.
We got in touch with the new out-of-state owners.
After that, the lights in the parking lot were working.
Here’s what we found out.
The owner’s representative told us claims that the parking lot lights were not working are not accurate.
They say the parking lot lighting system is on an automatic timer, and that accident in the area knocked the timer off its schedule, resulting in lights coming on later than usual.
The rep added there was a transition in maintenance staff, which resulted in the delay in adjusting the automatic timer.
But that adjustment was finally made, which Vanessa appreciates.
Thank you, she says, for the light to keep her safe from those shady things she can’t see in the dark.
Contact the Problem Solvers:
- 918-748-1502
- problemsolvers@kjrh.com
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