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Clackamas County officials were disappointed in 2008 when financing fell through for an effort to rehabilitate the Easton Ridge Apartments, an affordable housing complex in Happy Valley.

Today, they’re relieved.

鈥淚t was a blessing in disguise,鈥� said Trell Anderson, executive director of the Housing Authority of Clackamas County. 鈥淚t allowed us to take a much broader scope with the project.鈥�

The $9 million project, expected to start next month, will involve replacement of the siding, windows and ventilation systems of Easton Ridge’s 12 buildings, which were built in the late 1980s.

Additionally, new foundation drains will be installed, and the terrain around the buildings will be changed to improve water drainage; as it stands now, water flows toward the buildings rather than away from them.

Originally, only siding and windows were going to be replaced. But when the bank that was financing the project, Washington Mutual, went out of business, the county conducted more tests on the complex, Anderson said, and found a number of other problems.

鈥淚t’s a much, much better project now,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t became pretty apparent that replacing the siding and the windows was just a very small percentage of what needed to be done.鈥�

The problems with Easton Ridge stem from a combination of age and construction defects, according to Bhavna Kumar, project manager for Walsh Construction, the general contractor for the improvement project.

The buildings, developed by Bowen Development Corp., have deteriorated because of poor-quality siding; a nationwide lawsuit was filed in 2006 against the company that supplied the siding for the complex, according to Anderson. Clackamas County, which bought the complex in 1996 and converted it into affordable housing, received a small settlement from the suit.

Additionally, Easton Ridge was constructed so that water gathers around the buildings’ foundations, which has resulted in leakage and mold problems, Kumar said.

鈥淲orkmanship has a lot to do with it,鈥� she said. 鈥淎 little more care could have been put into the details. The fact that some of the areas were designed so that water was floating toward (the buildings) instead of away 鈥� that should have been known back then. That’s not good practice.鈥�

The project also will improve Easton Ridge’s courtyard areas. Two existing ponds don’t get much use, according to Mary Bradshaw, a project manager for the county. Play structures will replace the ponds; 40 percent of the housing units have school-age children in them, Bradshaw said.

鈥淗aving a place where they can actually go and play and hang out will be really important as well,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e’re going to redo them so they are actually usable for our folks.鈥�

Tenants, however, say the county has waited too long, according to Ruth Geislinger, who has lived at Easton Ridge for three years.

鈥淎 lot of people are angry about the timing,鈥� she said. 鈥漎ou have to catch (mold) at the right time; they think it should have been done sooner.鈥�

Because she lives on the ground floor, Geislinger said she will have to remove all of her belongings so that construction crews can investigate her apartment for mold. However, she does not mind, she said, because the work will greatly benefit Easton Ridge as a whole.

Other tenants are worried about how the project will affect parking. The first phase will involve replacement of all parking garages and covered areas that line the outside of the property. As such, tenants will no longer be able to reserve parking spots, according to Chris Couch, who also has lived in the complex for three years.

鈥淢y wife and I think it’s just really unfair,鈥� he said. 鈥淓veryone should have their own designated area where they can park.鈥�

Couch admitted that he hadn’t heard about plans to replace building envelopes. He said he knows about the garage aspect only because fliers were posted and added that many residents are unaware of the project’s overall scope.

However, Anderson said a series of informational meetings were held for tenants to learn about the project. Additionally, once construction starts, the county will assign someone to specifically reach out to residents on a daily basis, he said.

County officials believe the project will greatly benefit tenants and the county.

鈥淭he investment is that this is a long-term asset,鈥� Bradshaw said. 鈥淲e’re stabilizing the property to have it and operate it for a long time.鈥�