MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Tarps hanging from trees and off the side of the house. Inside, piles of dust were everywhere.
"It became too much," Alex Zens said.
That's how Zens described the home she used to live in in the Brewer's Hill neighborhood. The construction is from a contractor attempting to remove what Zens and her neighbors believed to be lead paint.
Zens and her former neighbor, Maggie Kerr, reached out to Jenna Rae for help.
"It was accumulating on our windowsill, on top of the air conditioner, and because the air conditioner was blowing, it was blowing onto our furniture," Zens explained.
That was last September at the home Zens was renting.
She said her landlord hired a team to work on the home but didn't specify what kind of work.
"We were not made aware of the situation that lead paint was being removed and exposed to our unit," Zens said.
The landlords hired Thoughtful Craftsmen, a local contractor that specializes in old home and landmark preservation, according to its own site.
While the project was getting into Zens' home, she wasn't the only one impacted.
"They were just power planing and all of the dust was getting everywhere," Maggie Kerr said.
Kerr lives next door.
"Those two top windows are my kids bedroom, and they had an in-room air conditioning going on, so that was sucking in the lead dust," Kerr explained.
After complaining to the contractors, Kerr said they put up tarps. However, nine months after the project started, she said she's still dealing with the aftermath.
Kerr showed TMJ4 the blue paint chips that are covering her yard, which she said came from the renovated home. She said her requests to get it cleaned up have gone unanswered.
Kerr talked to Zens and decided to call TMJ4's Jenna Rae.
"I reached out to support my neighbor, Maggie, who is looking just for lead dust paint to be out of her yard. Getting the word out that this is a dangerous situation," Zens explained.
Through our investigation, we found Thoughtful Craftsmen has been fined thousands of dollars related to how they remove lead-based products.
The Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration (OSHA) cited the company in February, March, and July of 2023 for violations including exposing employees to airborne lead and failing to establish a compliance program for jobs where employees could be exposed to lead.
Documents show Thoughtful Craftsmen was fined more than $50,000.
Within the last few months, the state Department of Health Services (DHS) fined the contractors nearly $3,000 for failing to train and certify lead-safe renovators.
"I'm not surprised seeing the guys out here working," Zens said.
"I'm not surprised," Kerr echoed.
We called the property's landlord Friday and were told they had nothing to say about the situation.
We also called Thoughtful Craftsmen. In an email, the company said subcontractors did not follow proper procedures during the project, and they are in contact with a third-party lead remediator to work on Kerr's lawn.
"At the end of the day, what I really want is my yard remediated. That's all I want," Kerr added.
A DHS spokesperson said property owners should verify the contractor they hire are certified to remove lead.
We'll stay in touch with Kerr, Zens, and Thoughtful Craftsmen until the issue is resolved.
If you have a problem for Jenna Rae to look into, email her at jenna.rae@tmj4.com.
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