Senior living facility still not up to code nearly 6 months after evacuation

MINT HILL, N.C. — After months of repairs at Mint Hill senior living facility, it's still under evacuation by the Mecklenburg County Fire Marshall’s Office.

“The experience was hard, she had difficulty adjusting and it caused her anxiety level to increase,” Sharon Semidey said.

Her mother and about 90 other seniors were loaded onto a bus and taken away from Mint Hill Senior Living on Lawyers Glen Drive in June.

[PAST COVERAGE: Seniors still can't return to living facility 2 months after evacuation]

She went to Gastonia and others went to facilities in places like Rockwell, Wadesboro and Mount Pleasant.

Family members said they were told their loved ones were going to a senior summer camp for a few weeks while the facility underwent renovations.

Channel 9 learned it was evacuated by the fire marshal after a failed fire inspection found safety issues. For months crews have been doing a complete fire safety overhaul.

Channel 9 found the latest inspection, dated Nov. 5, on Wednesday. An inspector said the building was not ready to reoccupy.

The report cited violations saying “sprinkler riser does not have current inspection tag.”

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It also said, “Fire door repairs have been made, but deficiencies still exist -- questionable performance.”

The setback isn’t the first. This summer, officials said work on the fire system was delayed by extreme heat.

In addition to finishing up repairs on the fire system, a spokesperson said the facility is also undergoing renovations. He said that process will push back the return of the seniors to around Christmas.

Mint Hill Senior Living's full statement: 

"The team at Mint Hill Senior Living extends a warm 'Thank you' for the patience shown to us while we conduct major renovations at our community, including a complete overhaul of the fire suppression system, brand new floors, freshly-painted walls, new furnishings throughout, and an overall refreshed interior design.  We look forward to our residents, their families, friends, and our partners across Mint Hill seeing the transformation at our community.

We are happy to announce that we will be moving residents back to their home before Christmas. We regret that this process has taken longer than anticipated, but it is important that we work with local and state officials to ensure the building meets strict standards and provides the safe and comfortable environment our residents deserve."

Cox Media Group