COLUMBIA, S.C. — Columbia Housing Authority Executive Director Gilbert Walker has announced that he'll retire from the agency, just over a month after two residents died and hundreds others had to be evacuated from one of the agency’s properties.
"The board has accepted Mr. Walker's request to retire," Columbia Housing Authority attorney Bob Coble announced Thursday night. The retirement is effective on June 30.
Shortly afterward, Coble released a letter from Walker, who left the meeting before the decision was announced publicly.
"In ending my over 50 years of employment with the Columbia Housing Authority, I regret that current events will overshadow the multiple outstanding achievements of the Columbia Housing Authority in my tenure," Walker wrote. "The Columbia Housing Authority has made a positive difference in the quality of life for thousands of citizens of Columbia.
The decision came after a two and a half hour long executive session--which is held behind closed doors--meeting of the housing authority's board. The board was conducting their regularly scheduled meeting when they entered executive session.
Board member E.W. Cromartie II also proposed a motion that was passed to make structural changes in the agency. The board agreed to create health and human safety officer and a quality control officer. They also agreed to establish a self-evaluation process, and will look at their hiring and retention process.
Columbia City Councilman Moe Baddourah, who's been critical of the housing authority and called for Walker to resign, hailed the decision.
"That’s a positive development. Given the numerous, serious failings of the Housing Authority, new leadership is badly needed.
"Moving forward, the Housing Authority must get serious about making sure adequate accountability is in place to avoid future crises and make sure the concerns of residents are being heard. And that must be City Council’s priority during the process of selecting new commissioners."
Walker has been with the CHA since 1968, and became executive director in 2000.
On January 17, two men--61-year-old Calvin Witherspoon, Jr. and 30-year-old Derrick Caldwell Roper--were found dead in their individual Allen Benedict Court apartments, a public housing complex. The Richland County coroner said carbon monoxide poisoning caused both deaths.
A day after their deaths, multiple gas leaks were discovered throughout the property, and the entire collection of units had to be evacuated. That left 411 people needing a home. They were put up in hotels, and then given vouchers to find new affordable housing.
Columbia Fire Department Chief Aubrey Jenkins said in a letter to the housing authority after the deaths that inspectors found carbon monoxide, missing smoke alarms, charred closets, and infestations among nearly two dozen violations inspectors discovered.
Jenkins called the conditions “severe and lethal” and an “imminent threat to human life.”
The Columbia Police Department still has an open investigation into the deaths. Five lawsuits have been filed in connection to the Allen Benedict Court situation.
Allen Benedict Court was open almost 80 years ago. Because of what happened, it has been permanently abandoned. Before the deaths and gas leaks, city leaders were hoping for a $30 million federal grant to tear down and redevelop the area. That money was not approved, however, but city leaders say they still plan to get rid of the homes on the property.
OUR PROBE:
WLTX's Deep Dive team has done extensive work in exposing what's been happening at Columbia Housing Authority. During our pursuit of the truth, two of our reporters were even arrested, but we were later issued an apology.
WHAT WE'VE FOUND:
In our investigation, we've uncovered previous maintenance problems in the units at Allen Benedict Court, that showed there were concerns about the units well before January 17th. We have a mountain of documents related to the case, as well as interviews with residents, and we continue to present new information each day.
You can see more into our probe below:
RELATED: DEEP DIVE: Work orders highlight potentially life-threatening problems at Allen Benedict Court
RELATED: 'Maybe they care, maybe they don't' Columbia Housing resident speaks out about maintenance issues
RELATED: EMS radio recordings describe moments after man was found in his apartment at Allen Benedict Court
RELATED: Allen Benedict Court work orders show history of maintenance issues at deceased resident's apartment
LAWSUITS:
There have also been multiple lawsuits filed in connection to the case. You can see our coverage of those below.
RELATED: Lawsuit alleges Allen Benedict Court Resident suffered from 'gas poisoning' well before evacuations