A storage facility in Tempe appears to have gone underwater ruining people’s property after rain from an overnight storm seeped through the roof.
“This is a nightmare,” said Russell Antkowiak.
Antkowiak pays $400 a month for four storage units at the Tempe Choice Self Storage facility in Tempe near Curry and Hayden. Inside those units, he stores his assortment of fancy and unique fabrics for his business, Pillow Shop.
This morning he arrived to most of his property in three of the four units drenched, soaked and completely underwater.
“This is 5 inches of water,” he pointed to a storage basket that had collected water in his unit.
“I can’t go buy that fabric anymore. That’s antique velvets and cut velvets, and satins and upholstery fabrics,” Ankowiak added.
The problem is with the roof, he says. It’s a problem he’s been on management about for the last six months.
“They tore the roof off of this place over six months ago. They took all the tar paper that was on top of there, rather than put another layer on top of it and be done with it, no, they tore it all of and they left it sitting like it is; bare roof,” Antkowiak added. “…and now stuff like this is happening.”
He says he called management this morning but he says not much came of out his conversation with them.
ABC15 tried to reach the property managers, Argus Professional, but the phone went to voicemail. We also reached out to the number listed for the business but also got a voicemail and the office is closed on Sunday.
Antkowiak says, it was too much work for him to move all of his property by himself out of the unit when the problem started six months ago, but he had confidence that management would be fixing the problem.
“You’re paying to be out of the storm, you’re paying for the shelter of your goods, you’re paying for the security of your goods,” Antkowiak said.
He also says he did not have insurance on his stuff but says management is responsible for the damage to his property and wants them to make things right.
“I’m just a victim of poor management,” he said.
