In Pullman and Moscow, two massive housing projects - Identity on Main and Evolve on Main - have appeared to be behind schedule for weeks.
People called us and asked us what was happening with the projects. We said we would look into it.
It took days, and on most of those days, multiple phone calls, to find out the schedule of the projects.
Those in local offices here on the Palouse pushed reporters on to Chicago, where the developer, CA Ventures, is based. No one seemed to want to talk to us. One of the first reviews on the company's website reads: "Impossible to speak to these people." We would like to second that.
Finally, we did get someone on the phone.
In very late July - not too long ago - Sean Spellman, chief development officer for CA Ventures, said the project was on the up and up and everything was on schedule.
People wrote us and questioned how the projects could possibly be on schedule when looking through windows one claimed to see wooden beams instead of white walls.
A little more than a week later, someone sent us a notice saying Identity on Moscow would not be ready for students to move in on the initial move-in date, which was supposed to be today.
Officials with CA Ventures continued to tell us on the phone the move-in date was not being pushed back - then we mentioned the notice.
For some reason, in a much quicker turnaround than before, CA Ventures got back and said no one would be moving into either development on time.
Somehow, in about 16 or 17 days from telling us and the community the project was on schedule, it became well behind schedule - or Spellman and CA Ventures were being misleading all along.
We're pretty sure Spellman just told us what we, and you, wanted to hear.
The company would have been better off being up front with the community and its future residents about any potential delays. That would have allowed residents time to find alternative housing or, at least, prepare to live in a hotel, which is what CA Ventures has proposed to its future tenants.
It would be nice to know when Pullman's downtown and the area around the 1100 block of South Main Street in Moscow will no longer be busy with orange cones, but CA Ventures is not offering a new expected completion date for the projects.
There's really no reason to put one out anyway. From what we have seen so far, it does not appear we can trust CA Ventures to be forthcoming with accurate information.
