BY TIM BONFIELD
The Cincinnati Enquirer

CLICK HERE to see the July 6 Enquirer reports that prompted Monday's outcry from city leaders.

City council members, the city manager and board of health officials said Monday they would demand answers about how Cincinnati's $6 million lead-paint abatement program managed to run for more than 2 1/2 years without fixing a single house.

"I'm really upset with what has occurred. There has been a lack of perseverance, a lack of cooperation, a lack of a sense of urgency and a lack of accountability," said Councilwoman Minette Cooper, chairwoman of the council's health committee. "We're going to have to do better."

In December 1993, the city won a $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to launch a program to correct health hazards caused by lead-based paint. By the end of February, the city was supposed to be finished with repairs to 350 homes.

What the city has done so far City officials say they have not wasted the nearly $1 million spent so far. As of May 15, the city had completed lead-paint risk assessments for 242 housing units. Public health nurses have provided more than 250 education sessions and made home visits to families with children with reported elevated blood lead levels. Contracts to clean-up 26 units were sent to the city law office on June 30. Another 26 contracts are expected later this month. Work began June 30 on two units.

An Enquirer investigation published Sunday revealed that as of last week, the city had completed no repairs, but had started work on two apartments in Madisonville.

This week, the bogged-down program is scheduled to be discussed by city officials in several different ways.

City Manager John Shirey is scheduled to meet today with health department and neighborhood housing officials. On Wednesday, city council could consider at least one, possibly two, motions related to lead paint. On Thursday, the independent Cincinnati Board of Health also is scheduled talk about the program.

"We clearly have some homework to do to try to figure out what is going on," health board Chairman Robert Rinsky said. "I consider lead poisoning of children to be an extremely big deal. We need to get on this thing and get it straightened out."

Dr. Malcolm Adcock, Cincinnati health commissioner, said Monday that he and his staff are preparing responses for concerns raised at City Hall. He also said he felt The Enquirer's story Sunday about the program wasn't fair.

"The article left the impression that zero had been done," Dr. Adcock said. "I think we're further along than the article implied. . . . I don't believe the overall program is a failure now and I certainly don't believe it will be a failure as of next February. I believe we are going to get the job done."

While city officials figure out what went wrong, homeowners continue to complain about the red-tape tangling them in the lead-paint abatement program.

'An absolute nightmare'

Tonya Gordon has been ordered to remove lead paint from her Price Hill home. "Where am I supposed to get the money?" she says. (Michael Snyder photo) | ZOOM |

Price Hill resident Tonya Gordon keeps one of the nicest looking homes on Wells Street. Outside, the 68-year-old house boasts new siding and fresh flowers. Inside, the home is spotless.

But excellent housekeeping hasn't been enough. A year ago, Mrs. Gordon allowed a public health nurse to take blood samples from her then 2-year-old twins, Sarah and Quinn.

Sarah had a blood lead level that was high enough to trigger a city inspection of the Gordons home, but not high enough to warrant medical treatment.

Last month, a year after the blood test, a health department inspector completed an assessment of the house. The list of jobs to correct lead paint hazards includes replacing nearly every window, the wooden basement steps, the old wood on a side porch, treating a kitchen ceiling that shows no sign of chipping paint, and removing or replacing the home's most distinctive architectural feature: an ornate wooden arch over the front door.

The orders came in a 26-page report Mrs. Gordon received June 26 - about a month after the Gordons put their house up for sale. The list has no cost estimates - that comes only after bids are taken. But the windows alone are expected to cost several thousand dollars. With all the delays in the lead-paint abatement program, there is no timetable for completion.

Now, Mrs. Gordon doesn't know if she can afford to move. The problem: The lead-paint hazards are listed as violations of city code, which means Mrs. Gordon is responsible for repairs whether or not she qualifies for a HUD grant.

"This is an absolute nightmare," Mrs. Gordon said. "They say I can sell the house. But I have to disclose this report. Who's going to buy a house with all these work orders against it? And now they tell me if I move, I have to have that house tested, too.

"They keep telling me I have to put my child's best interests at heart, like I'm being a bad mother who's been feeding my child a bowl full of lead for breakfast. But if I don't get the grant, where am I supposed to get the money?"

Getting back on track

Ms. Cooper said the lead-paint program needs to be accelerated. Her draft motion, to be introduced Wednesday, calls for ordering the Department of Neighborhood Services to devote more staff and time to the project; immediately seeking bids on 51 homes selected for abatement; setting up a special working group to pool expertise among city departments; returning a safety inspector hired with grant funds to his original job; and requiring monthly progress reports from the city manager and the health commissioner.

The Health Department has applied for a yearlong extension to complete its lead-paint abatement program. In that application, officials promise to complete all 350 units by the end of February 1998. HUD has not decided whether to give Cincinnati an extension. Dr. Adcock predicted the extension would be seriously considered, and probably approved.

"There are grants all over the country that will be in the same shape we are when their time lines run out," Dr. Adcock said. "This program has been criticized before it's over. Just because some cities have completed abatements at this point doesn't mean they will be any more successful" than Cincinnati.

Previous stories

CITY LEAD CLEANUP STALLED July 6, 1997
POISON! LEAD MENACES CHILDREN July 6, 1997
CLEANING UP A LEAD-TAINTED HOUSE July 6, 1997