It all began as a simple request and a piece of legal paper hung on a bulletin board. Sandie Davis’ desire was simple, to share concerns with the powers that be and get some answers.

While the longtime Oakdale resident and current tenant of Oak Haven Senior Apartments may have thought little of the meeting she had arranged with City Manager Bryan Whitemyer and Mayor Cher Bairos, the attendance, as well as outcome spoke volumes.

In mid-May, Davis was set to meet with the two city officials to discuss concerns with a number of things to review in relation to the apartments.

“I was shocked,” Davis said of the packed Recreation Room of Oak Haven Apartments.

“It wasn’t just old people complaining,” the senior said of the items which were shared by the tenants.

While Davis’ concerns stemmed around rent increases, now as well as during COVID; proper security, as well as safety; and adequate parking for residents; her peers shared even more.

“The mass meeting that we had before was not necessarily conducive to a conversation,” Whitemyer said of his surprise when entering the Rec room in mid-May.

“I appreciated the opportunity to meet with Sandie,” he continued of a one on one meeting hosted later, “so that we can understand the perspective and also so we can explain some of the reasons some things are not feasible and some things are.”

Stories of living without hot water for months, decking in disrepair, uneven pavement and faulty appliances were among the many things shared with Whitemyer, Bairos and Mayor Pro-tem Christopher Smith, whom Bairos had asked to join them.

“If we can find the root problem, which is Buckingham Management then I think we can alleviate some of this,” Davis said of the current property management group.

Live Oak Apartments are owned by the City of Oakdale, as well as Senior Living, LLC which acts as a silent partner, deferring all decisions regarding the residences to the City.

During the meeting, the City Manager requested that residents complete another Work Order form listing specifics of items which needed to be addressed. He emphasized the importance of wants versus needs and not all things might be as important or urgent as others.

Following the mid-May meeting Whitemyer shared the property management company admitted to dropping the ball on quite a few items. Buckingham has also given its 60-day notice as the property management for Oak Haven.

As a question has been raised around the city not using a local property management company, Whitemyer shared the representing company must hold certain certifications and meet certain California guidelines to oversee subsidized housing. He also shared they are currently looking for an experienced replacement to Buckingham Property Management.

“This gives us an opportunity to educate ourselves a little better and understand what authorities we do have,” he said of the upcoming transition.

The ultimate goal is to make improvements to the facility, to make things better. A follow up meeting June 7 at 1:15 p.m. in the Recreation Room has been scheduled. At that time, Whitemyer said he will review a plan and update residents.

“They have very, very valid concerns about certain elements,” Whitemyer said. “I think what this has helped us understand, is how involved we need to be and we also encourage them to call more.”

“I’m glad people showed up,” Davis said of the packed room. “It says that they are concerned.”

While Whitemyer admits to somewhat stepping back and relying too much on the property management for Oak Haven, he equally cites poor communication as a contributing factor. However, he now feels the communication will be better and that the meeting helped open the dialogue.

“I’m not familiar with the rent increases they experienced,” he said in response to Davis’ concerns. “That’s the thing I want to look at, because I was unaware of those earlier ones.”

During the meeting Whitemyer had shared being notified prior by Buckingham posing a rent increase of as much as 15 percent, an increase he did not approve.

“We want to get this resolved. We want to make it better,” Whitemyer said of the concerns, improvements and work orders now set before him.

As for the funds needed to fix and care for the facility, Whitemyer acknowledged that while ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds would have been a fit, it was never presented to the City for consideration.

“It’s not as if we don’t have money to fix it. We have sufficient funds,” he said. “We just weren’t aware.”

Now, though, the awareness exists.

“All I did was write that there was going to be a meeting on that little piece of paper,” Davis said of the turnout and the actions now seeming to be happening, “and all those people showed up. And they want more, so here we are.”