Occupants of all seven apartments at 113 and 115 South State Street were offered a designated 30-minute time to retrieve possessions the morning of April 12. According to Waseca Police Chief Kris Markeson, residents of all the units initially signed up for time slots, but only three groups followed through.Pioneer photo by Deb Bently
City arranges supervised entry for residents to reclaim some possessions
Wed, 05/07/2025 - 8:10pm
By DEB BENTLY
News Editor
On Wednesday, April 16, tenants of 115 and 113 South State Street in Waseca were given 30 minutes’ access to their apartments for the sake of retrieving some of their possessions. Access to the building’s 7 apartments has been boarded up since tenants were suddenly evacuated the afternoon of Wednesday, April 2, when the east wall of 115 collapsed.
According to Waseca Police Chief Kris Markeson, his department coordinated the procedures needed for the “resource-intensive” process. City housing officials and an engineer first determined the structure was sufficiently stable to allow short-term access. The building owner was contacted and asked to notify tenants of the opportunity to retrieve some of their belongings. Tenants reserved a 30-minute time slot in advance; on April 16 they reported to the police department to sign waivers and were then sent to the apartment buildings in turn.
Members of the fire department were on site to accompany tenants inside. Occupants of only one apartment at a time were permitted access, no more than five people were to come and go from apartments. Tenants were instructed to remove only “small” items–apparently nothing bigger than could be carried by a single person.
Electric power to all units had been severed when the east wall fell. According to Markeson, tenants of all 7 apartments originally signed up for a time slot, but on April 16 only 3 apartments were visited. According to Markeson, no other access days are scheduled.
Tenants report having left nearly everything behind on April 2 when they were evacuated suddenly, then permitted brief access to retrieve essential personal items after a structural engineer had examined the building: items considered essential included medications, pets, and some items of clothing and personal care.
Many of the residents have been living in hotel rooms acquired for them by MN Prairie human services, the American Red Cross, or other philanthropic agencies. Most have been told they should find more permanent housing by the end of April.
Mariah Sleeuwenhoek, 28, had lived in one of the apartments for about two years. She shared the space with her brother and 2-year-old son. She describes having seen the structural problems from the inside and being certain the wall would fall, even though the landlord issued assurances everyone was safe.
She happened to be outside the day the wall fell, and says she felt immediate fear for everyone inside, including her brother who was upstairs in the apartment. Her son, luckily, was at daycare at the time. Sleeuwenhoek noted tenants immediately began to check on each other and make sure everyone got out safely. Still, “It was one of the scariest moments of my life,” she recalls.
Sleeuwenhoek stated that, when she learned of the opportunity to fetch her belongings, she gathered “the most important people” in her life and asked for their ideas about how to make the best use of the 30 minutes allowed. She says they considered some of the obstacles–including potentially dusty air and the absence of lighting–and came up with solutions which included masks and head-mounted flashlights. Each group member took charge of a selected room; bags, boxes and laundry baskets were decided upon as the best containers.
Since Sleeuwenhoek’s apartment had an exterior window, and since going up and down stairs was a very labor intensive element of the process, one planner suggested it would save time and effort to drop any suitable belongings out the second-story window. About 10 garbage-sized bags containing fabric items and some toys were sent out that way.
Irretrievable, to Sleewenhoek’s chagrin, were a number of recently purchased pieces of furniture, including a bedroom set and a kitchen table.
On April 16, the group arrived with a pickup truck, a trailer, and a number of vehicles. More than five people came, but a couple waited outside to take containers as they were brought down and carry them to the vehicles. Tools were brought along to remove wall-mounted televisions.
Sleeuwenhoek expressed gratitude to her team of helpers for their “well-thought-out plan” and for their willingness to enter the building and carry her many possessions. She also thanked the Red Cross, MN Prairie, and her fellow tenants for the support they have provided.
Police Chief Markeson pointed out the city does not own the building at 115 S. State, but city agencies were willing to take part in the April 16 procedures to help accommodate the needs of the tenants and to ensure safe procedures were followed.
Timeline of events
City of Waseca Building Official Daniel Murphy released this timeline of recent events regarding the privately owned building located at 115 South State Street.
January of 2025 Initial inspection revealed there was some movement on the lower one-third portion of the building’s east wall. Murphy advised the owner to hire a structural engineer to design the wall repair and hire a building restoration contractor.
March 3 The housing office received a complaint via phone call from a concerned citizen regarding the condition of the east wall of 115 State Street South.
March 7 Murphy inspected the east wall and determined repair action was needed to prevent further deterioration. He called the building owner and ordered him to hire a structural engineer to design a repair or to shore up the wall, and warned a written order was forthcoming. The owner was responsive.
March 14 Murphy received a call from a structural engineer hired by the building owner. He was able to gain access to unit 7 of 115 State Street South. Unit 7 showed significant signs of wall movement; the engineer expressed safety concerns of the tenants of units 6 and 7.
March 18 Murphy composed written orders declaring 115 State Street South as unsafe and hazardous.
March 27 Murphy called CenterPoint Energy and ordered the gas meter at the base of the east wall of 115 State Street South disconnected and removed. That was done on the same day.
April 2 The wall of 115 State Street South collapsed and cut off electrical service to both 113 and 115 State Street South. All tenants were removed from the affected buildings for their safety.
As of April 10 the incident is considered an open and active investigation. The building has been secured to restrict access as the building is unsafe and hazardous.
These developments have taken place since the release was prepared:
April 16 Former residents of 113 and 115 State Street South were permitted brief access to their apartments for the sake of removing some of their belongings.
April 18 Work crews began removing the rubble of the fallen wall.