A surge of more than 130 community members joined dozens of tenants and former employees of the Forest Glen Senior Residence Thursday evening to discuss the fate of the iconic six-story structure that abuts a frontage road along Interstate 5 in Canyonville.

More than 50 individuals who live in the dilapidated former retirement home — including disabled veterans and elderly — were thrown into limbo last week when building managers announced the building would close “effective immediately.”

In addition to seniors’ evictions, the 13 employees who worked to provide meal service and facility maintenance under an entity dubbed Harmony Active Living were laid off, though most stayed on as volunteers to prepare meals and help run the building.

The standing room-only crowd Thursday was a mix of former residents and building employees as well as community members and representatives of county and state agencies who have intervened this past week. State Reps. Christine Goodwin, R-Canyonville, and Virgle Osborne, R-Roseburg, who issued a joint statement Wednesday urging intervention by state health officials, addressed audience members alongside former building manager Rain Clark and assistant manager Star Netherton. Both women previously worked — and still reside — in the building.

Prior to the meeting, Osborne said he and Goodwin were “highly concerned about the welfare and the well-being of all the residents here” and had immediately paid a visit last week when they learned of the looming eviction.

“We’ve asked the state to step in and help out, and Christine (Goodwin) is trying to work directly with the governor on this,” Osborne said.

“This situation has a really bad potential to go south, and we don’t want that to happen,” he added.

Osborne and other state and county leaders pointed out that the building — which had included a residential care facility on the second floor until it shuttered last May amid a slew of safety violations — is now merely a private residence and thus falls under typical landlord-tenant laws.

Netherton told audience members that a steady stream of community helpers — offering everything from food donations to cooking and cleaning to building repairs — had given residents hope. The Oregon Department of Human Services, she said, visits daily, and other agencies had stepped in to determine eligibility for services including alternate housing for those who are eligible. Cow Creek Tribe, which runs nearby Seven Feathers Casino Resort, stepped in to resume paying for garbage service when building owner Terry Emmert’s account was reportedly shut off for non-payment.

Netherton said she and Clark were looking into establishing a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to run the building, and that community members were soliciting legal representation for the residents despite a lack of input from Emmert.

“We have not heard anything from Emmert. But I do believe, next month, we will hear something. Why? Because they’re going to want their money,” Netherton said to the audience.

Emmert did not respond to a request for comment by the Rogue Valley Times.

Standing quietly along one wall, Harmony Active Living owner Jerry Reeves addressed the audience, noting he “found out this week” that Emmert, who Reeves claimed ceased paying building bills months ago, “is having financial trouble.” Reeves said he sympathizes with Emmert’s situation. Others in the audience shook their heads with one woman offering a sarcastic, “Awwwww.”

“As much as I want to be mad at Terry, I don’t think I can, because he gave it everything he could and it’s not really his fault he couldn’t keep up with making the payments,” Reeves said.

Reeves, however, also said he was angry with Emmert for a media report in which he reportedly feigned ignorance of the closure.

“The fact he said he didn’t know about this, that’s a flat-ass lie, because he was involved in ‘Should we give notice or should we not?’ He had the … spreadsheet showing what it would cost to close it down,” Reeves alleged at the meeting.

Clark and Netherton said the building, if residents remain, will need repairs on everything from a failing elevator to the HVAC system to a water boiler and windows. Netherton told the audience, “Let me lay down the cheese — this place needs a heart transplant!”

Douglas County commissioner Tom Kress said county caseworkers had been assigned to ensure housing and other services were made available and that county officials would monitor the situation. Most residents, he noted, don’t want to leave.

“So far … nothing’s officially even happened. They haven’t got eviction notices. Their electricity hasn’t been turned off. Their water hasn’t been turned off,” Kress said.

“Until the owner makes a move — and nobody has heard from him — we don’t know what he’s gonna do. Because it’s not a care facility. It’s just like an apartment building. This whole thing, so far, sounds like a bad landlord situation, and we’re all left kind of waiting to see what he’s going to do,” he added.

Goodwin said she was saddened by the condition of the building.

“I haven’t even viewed the upstairs, but the stories are horrific. It needs major, major repairs,” she said. “No matter what ends up happening, nobody is going to be out on the street. We will see what happens with ownership and go from there. My dream would be that we really renovate this building, get it up to code and get it safe for residents, then bring them back. … We can only hope the owner is reasonable.”

Canyonville Mayor Christine Morgan confirmed the city would keep water service turned on despite being five months past due and “in the thousands” of dollars. Morgan applauded the community for offering support.

“The beauty of all this is that nobody wants to see anybody go hungry or be out on the street. People care, so they have stepped in to help out in a number of ways … but this can’t go on forever,” Morgan said. “Things have to play out. We have to see what happens with the owner.

“For now, we’re not going to shut the water off, so let’s just let things play out and see what can be done,” she said.