DALLAS — Michael Solares’ passion for construction continues to run into resistance from outside. He is renovating the Courtyard Apartments on Gaston Avenue in the Munger Place Historic District.
“I’ve dedicated a third of my life here,” Solares said.
The 31-year-old took over the family property and began renovating it 10 years ago. Since then, Solares’ goal of converting real estate has run into problems like a naughty teenage boy.
“Young children and teens don’t want to steal. They want to destroy, break walls, break toilets, break sinks.” he said.
Solares said he planned to replace the windows in his unit, but the teens broke the glass and then forced him to install plywood. Recently, he said, the facility’s surveillance system caught young people messing around in the pool.
“They came and dumped an entire 100-pound (bucket) of chlorine into the pool,” Solares said.
Dallas police say they have yet to catch the vandals who attacked the property during the summer and Christmas holidays.
But there are no children behind the latest failure at his complex. Solares said his surveillance system saw two men stealing a dual tandem trailer to transport construction trash.
“The bile we had to steal in broad daylight, tens of thousands of dollars worth of trailers,” he said.
Solares said he and his crew left work Friday around 6 p.m. About 20 minutes later, he said, a blue Chevrolet Silverado pulled up. The men, wearing neon shirts and sky masks, casually climbed into his $27,000 trailer and drove away.
“And each package would probably cost easily $500 if someone else were to do it,” he said.
This is the price your real estate agent will have to pay until you get a new trailer, which can cost upwards of $71,000. Solares said he forgave the thieves because he did not intend to steal his dreams.
“It tells me I’m pretty close to where I want to be,” he said. “I don’t think there will be difficulties for people who haven’t reached their ultimate goal.”
Dallas police said the matter is still under investigation.
