La Salle mayor calls out bed bug issues at housing towers, county officials respond

La Salle County officials have responded Tuesday after La Salle Mayor Jeff Grove said in a Facebook post there is a bed bug infestation at the housing towers on Second Street in La Salle.

Grove said he has heard from sources personnel have quit or been “let go” for not wanting to work in the infestation at the Robert Hughett Towers Apartments. He said he didn’t blame those staff members but is concerned for the residents who reside in those conditions. Grove provided images in his post.

“We are doing what we can do with the tools that we have to combat this.”

—  Ed Biggins, executive director of the Housing Authority for La Salle County

Executive Director of the Housing Authority for La Salle County Ed Biggins said the photos posted were from 1.5 to 2 years ago and Grove didn’t call the housing authority to hear its perspective before posting.

“That’s not really the place to have these discussions,” Biggins said. “One of the candidates running for (La Salle) County Board has requested a meeting and we’ll probably do that.”

Grove said he didn’t have to call the housing authority. He said it has been brought to the agency’s attention and it was aware of the issue.

Biggins said bedbugs are not a new issue when managing 1,000 units in a county of more than 110,000 people. He said housing authority staff have met with tenants many times and it’s an issue that continues at multifamily housing.

“We are doing what we can do with the tools that we have to combat this,” he said. “We have a professional pest control firm that works for us to do these treatments in the units and a lot of this hinges on what sort of participation you get from the occupants in the units.”

Biggins said by the end of their fiscal year, June 2025, the Housing Authority will have spent about $200,000 combating bed bugs.

Grove said the housing authority’s effort has not been good enough. He said he was more concerned with the results than money spent on the issue.

The mayor said La Salle has a rental ordinance that would require the city to get involved but because housing authority is a part of the county, the city doesn’t.

“I have constituents in that building and they’re reaching out for help,” he said. “And it’s my job to take care of my constituents and I feel like my hands our tied because we can’t go just go in there and fix it ... I’ll be glad to register them as a rental unit in La Salle and we’ll take care of it.”

According to the city of La Salle ordinance 91.02, no person owning, leasing, occupying or having charge of any premises shall maintain or keep any nuisance therein. This ordinance also said all structures must be free from rodent and insect infestation.

County Board member Brian Dose, D-Ottawa, who is vying for Board chairman position in next week’s election, said as a fireman and paramedic he is familiar with bed bugs and has treated people with bed bugs in the past.

He said the La Salle County Board does not have direct control over the housing authority, as it is run by the federal government – the County Board simply appoints a committee.

Dose said if elected he will form a task force, composed of the mayors, health department and county housing authority to review the issue.

“This is a huge issue,” he said. “I’ve seen it personally … I’m very well aware that they are trying to treat these areas, but that its’ a very serious issue in that particular high rise.”

La Salle County Board Chairman Don Jensen, R-Deer Park, who is running for reelection, said the La Salle County Housing Authority is a federally-run organization and the only association the board has with it is appointing board members when there are vacancies.

Jensen said Biggins mentioned the housing authority was working on a program that would be able to control the situation better than it has been, but other than that he has no further information on it.

District 13 Candidate Alexandria “Ali” Braboy, a La Salle Democrat, said she was made aware of the bed bug issue when she went to the high rise and spoke to a woman and her daughter who were living there.

“I am very interested for different parties to sit down together and learn what the real issue is and how to move forward,” she said. “Who is really responsible and what we can do to help eradicate the bugs and fix this so that people can continue to live in the places they love.”

Her political opponent Melody Burgess, a La Salle Republican, was not available for comment.

Grove said he was happy to have people reach out to him so quickly but believed people were pushing the buck a little bit, since the housing authority is federally funded.

Grove said people have asked what he would like the housing authority to do to fix the solution – he said move everyone out until it is fixed.

“Find some different housing, which is probably impossible,” he said. “Take care of the issue and bring it back. I know that’s a big bill but right now just doing one room at a time, that’s my understanding of what’s happening. Where do you think those (bed bugs) are going? They’re just going to the next safe place.”

“It’s not getting taken care of,” the mayor said.