After experiencing a fire in late June, Voegele Apartments reopened its doors to the community on Wednesday, Nov. 13 for an open house.
Members of the Mansfield City Council, local businesses, organizations, and individuals were present to show their support. That same support is what Andrew Whapham, CEO and Broker of Community Investment Management Services (CIMS) for the building, attributed to getting the apartments up and running again.
“It was a community effort,” Whapham said. He expressed gratitude towards several local organizations, entities, businesses, and individuals for all the support they gave. “I can’t say enough how appreciative I am of all those who helped out.”
“I remember showing up at 8 a.m. the following morning of the fire and watching so many people rally together—the NECIC [North End Community Improvement Collaborative], the Red Cross and our staff here who stayed the night and helped the residents that didn’t have shelter, and so many others,” he added.
The building’s gas line had been struck by lightning, causing damage to multiple apartments. Electrical lines that ran above the gasoline lines were also damaged. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries.
Director of Marketing with LW Associates Betsy Weller reported that the building underwent basic changes after the fire. “We put in some new flooring and some painting had to occur. After a fire, there’s a lot of smoke, of course, so we had to do some cleaning as well.”
She continued, “We’re trying to make the building based around the residents, focused on resident services, ultimately making Voegele a nice place to live.”
Site Manager Valerie Bishoff noted that many of the systems have been updated in the building, including the alarm and intercom systems.
There are 25 apartments total in the building. Twenty-one of those apartments had been occupied prior to the fire.
One of the residents who had been living in the Voegele building for the past 10 years is Donn Raye Todd. He stated that while the building renovations have occurred, he has stayed with his friend Luke Beekman and his mom. His apartment is still undergoing some reconstruction; however, he is hoping to be able to move back in soon.
“I’m a little apprehensive to move back in,” he admitted. “I’m not sure what the future holds in terms of my apartment looking as it had before. I know that changes are bound to happen, but I’m hopeful it still retains the same character as before.”
While hosting a tour for some of the attendees at the open house, Bishoff stated that there are currently six residences that are occupied and five applications out. Residents started to move back into their apartments roughly three weeks ago, said Whapham.
What would seem as a bleak situation—experiencing a fire and then having to undergo the renovation process—Whapham pointed out the silver lining by stating, “The management team has gotten to know the ins and the outs of the building.”
Having only been at Voegele since May, CIMS was able examine the building in great detail after the fire. “The fire brought about this learning [of the building] on a deeper, faster, and more comprehensive level,” he said.
On another positive note he added, “We were able to restore the building and also improve it to make it less susceptible to future risks.”
“We’re trying to make the building based around the residents, focused on resident services, ultimately making Voegele a nice place to live,” said Betsy Weller.
