A history of gun violence and wild partying has left new owners of an off-campus apartment complex with quite a repair job.

The Verge, managed by College Park Communities, purchased the off-campus student-housing complex that was Jefferson Commons in May, and has been “working day and night to get this place turned around,” said Kelly Dudson, a leasing specialist employed at the Verge.

In 2004, Jefferson Commons, owned by JPI, opened the apartment complex on 65th Street and 4th Avenue with Sacramento State students on its mind, offering fully furnished apartments with loads of amenities. Throughout the year, problems arose at the apartment complex, ranging from out-of-control parties to shootings in and around the complex.

Jason Walker, a junior business major, experienced a lot while living at Jefferson Commons in 2004-05, before moving to Rivercrest Village on La Riviera Drive. On one occasion, a man tried to hide in Walker’s apartment after shooting a gun at another person. In a separate instance, a gun was pointed at him.

“I was walking to leave the complex when a guy came over the wall (by the vehicle entrance of the complex), pointed the gun at me and started shooting,” Walker said, re-enacting the pulling of the trigger. The gun was empty.

Walker didn’t file any reports about his experiences with gun violence. He said he didn’t feel the need to get involved. “I wasn’t involved in the situation in the first place. I wasn’t going to put my name in it, especially when it dealt with guns,” Walker said.

“There was a lot of fights. There were a lot of shootings,” Walker said. “It’s bull—-,” he said, explaining that security ?” the same security who he said had previously drank alcohol at his parties ?” would hassle him and other tenants and break up parties, but was not there when he had a gun pointed at him.

“Every night was a party,” Walker said. “One night at least 400 people came out and it was just like a parking lot party,” he said, recalling the opening weekend at Jefferson Commons.

“There were a lot of drunk people and a lot of drug use,” Walker said about the complex’s residents. “The amount of people that would drink was ridiculous.”

But the complex did offer everything a student needed. For $619 a month, Walker, who lived at the residence halls his first year at Sac State, was set. He had everything he had at the dorms – a bed, dresser, desk and Internet access – and more. The apartment itself was fully furnished with couches, coffee tables, a dining table, dining chairs, a refrigerator and microwave. Each apartment also had its own washer and dryer.

Living at Jefferson Commons and being surrounded by peers, Walker said, was just like the dorms. The benefits were meeting new people, but he said it was hard to get things done. “It’s hard to study because people would stop by,” he said. He also explained that by the end of the year rumors spread around the complex and everyone knew everyone’s business.

As for management, Walker stated that they would throw fun social events. He enjoyed using the facilities that the complex provided, including the workout gym, pool, hot tub and barbecue grills.

Denise Amadeo, a junior majoring in child development, lived at the complex when it was managed by JPI and renewed her lease despite the management changes. Amadeo said that the complex has changed a bit.

“It’s a lot quieter this year,” she said. “I thought with (less hassling of students by security) it would get out of control, but it hasn’t. There haven’t been a lot of problems.”

Amadeo mentioned that communication with the new management has been difficult, explaining that the new management changed the cards to open the complex’s vehicle-entry gate before issuing the new cards to tenants.

Physically, she said, the expectations of the apartment aren’t up to par. She said that her water heater closet door doesn’t close, the paint is cheap and rubs off, and when her drain clogged last year, no one came to fix it.

She does enjoy the complex’s facilities, including the gym and pool. Amadeo said the complex is better than last year. Her only complaint is the commute from the apartment to campus ?” The Verge hires a private vendor to transport students to and from the university. Amadeo, concerned for her own safety, said the shuttle drivers drive recklessly like “they’re driving a sports car.” Getting to school on time also worries her because the shuttle doesn’t run on a set schedule.

“(The drivers) randomly decide when to go on lunch,” she said, recalling one instance when a driver kicked everyone off the shuttle because he said he was taking a break.

Dudson encourages tenants of The Verge to express their concerns in order for problems to get fixed in a timely manner and for them to be safe. “We care about our tenants,” she expressed.

The Verge management, Dudson said, is also working on setting up social gatherings for the tenants, including weekly activities and monthly programs to educate the college community on issues of safety and how to be professional and responsible in life.

Living in a student-housing apartment complex was fun, Walker said, but he’s glad to be living at his new residential complex, where he pays $325 per month in rent.

“It’s more low key,” he said. “You don’t want people stopping by your apartment. I can concentrate on my schoolwork.”

Nika Megino can be reached at [email protected]