Residents of the DeKalb Center high-rise apartment complex might be caught in the middle of a legal battle between the city of DeKalb and the owner of their building.

The city decided to follow through with plans to intervene in the Center’s management after a meeting Thursday with part-owner Joseph Navilio, Lisle, Ill., said DeKalb Building and Community Services Director Bill Nicklas.

The meeting was “a frank exchange of views,” Nicklas said.

The petition requesting the appointment of a court-ordered property manager will be filed today. If the petition is uncontested, a court will appoint a property manager who will collect rent and oversee the property.

About 40 tenants met with DeKalb city officials and representatives from the NIU Students’ Legal Assistance Office Wednesday night.

The residents complained about the possibly hazardous conditions of the building and asked questions about the city’s plans to intervene in the building’s management.

If repairs are not made soon, the residents will be forced to leave their homes and relocate at local shelters.

“They (the management) have got a home to go to. This is our home,” a woman resident said.

The 66-unit building houses about 150 people, including 15 to 20 children, 6th Ward Alderman Jaimie Pennington said.

“We pay rent. We have a right to be here,” said Frances Carrillo, a 6th floor tenant. Carrillo said she was asked to take her baby and leave her apartment one night during a rainstorm. She said the management thought the rain might leak through the roof and into her apartment.

“If I had another place to go, I wouldn’t be here,” she said.

Navilio refused to comment Wednesday on the situation, and could not be reached Thursday.

A two-bedroom DeKalb Center apartment with heat and water included costs $475 per month, and a one-bedroom unit costs $375, said DeKalb Center Manager Beth Elkins.

Nicklas said code enforcement officials inspect the Center each fall and issue violations according to the minimum standard mandated by the 1987 BOCA National Existing Structures Code.

The City notified Navilio of more than 40 Structures Code Violations found this summer during an inspection of the DeKalb Center.

If violations are found, more inspections must be made. “We’ve had a history of having to make reinspections” at the DeKalb Center, Nicklas said.

“Since the period of July 22, we have had an inordinate amount of complaints for a structure of that size,” Nicklas said.

Pennington said, “That building has had a lifespan of code violations.”

The biggest concern of city officials is the potential fire hazards throughout the building. A lack of steel safety doors, inoperable fire extinguishers and broken exit signs are code violations that exist in the building.

Another major problem plaguing the building is a leaky roof which will cost an estimated $60,000 to $70,000 to repair, Nicklas said. The water leakage caused the fire alarm system to short-circuit July 22. Repairs took several weeks to be completed.

To add to the structural problems, the building’s brick facade is crumbling. The southwest corner of the building will be fenced off to protect residents from falling debris, Nicklas said.

“We’ve got doors falling off, and the brick facade is falling away,” Nicklas said.

According to one resident, only one of three elevators in the six-story building currently works, and tenants are reluctant to use them because they frequently stop between floors.

Residents also complained of cockroach infestation caused by the unsanitary conditions of the Center’s garbage chute.