Side view

It was 188 not 118

It is 188 Canner st. Sorry. I have asked seeclickfix crew to change it.

Everyone in the neighborhood knows exactly which house it is regardless of an incorrect # posted. I had no idea the back looked so bad. What a blight to the neighborhood!

LCI has been in contact with the Building Department who has jurisdiction over construction projects.

They will contact the owner about this matter.

Seeclickfix has not changed the number to 188 but I am re opening it anyway. We meet to get a real answers before a kid get's injured by the old structure coming apart.

I've updated the address. Sorry for any delay.

LCI is looking to address this situation and reaching out to the property owner tomorrow. Everyone is right that the scaffolding has been up far too long. It's time to address this situation.

Justin Elicker
Ward 10 Alderman
justin.elicker@gmail.com

Justin, I received the same answer from LCI last year. This issue has been reported on the news and from several citizens but nothing has been done to correct it. What I am really concerned now is the safety of the kids at Hocker school and citizens that walk on the sidewalk In front of the house. Should we wait for somebody to get injured from the scaffolding that is felling apart to really do something?

Hi Larry.

LCI has said that now they may have more leverage because it is a safety issue. The problem is that the ordinance allows the property owner to keep up the scaffolding as long as he is making progress with the construction. I'm looking at our ability to change the ordinance. Clearly there has been almost no progress with construction but unfortunately that is difficult to prove. This issue has been going on long enough however that I don't plan on dropping it. Please keep commenting on this thread as we pick up pressure on the property owner to address the building.

Justin Elicker
Ward 10 Alderman
justin.elicker@gmail.com

This is awful. Someone is going to get hurt when that all comes down. Please fix!

Justin,
not only there has been no progress with the construction but actually the house is in worst shape than ever. I spoke with one of the tenants that was leaving in the property and she explained to me that it was a disaster inside to. She did not feel safe in the apartment and she left after asking the owner to fix several things several times. Again where was LCI?

The owners of this dilapidated property are John Cusick and Wendy S. Reed. Their address is 16 Bethmour Road, Bethany, CT 06524. Second address: 188 Nicoll Street (perhaps another property they own?).

The building department sent a letter to the property owner yesterday to take the scaffolding down because it is dangerous. It will be passed on to the City's Corporation Counsel to pursue legal action.

We'll keep on this.

Justin Elicker
Ward 10 Alderman
justin.elicker@gmail.com

Justin, you truly deserve a thank you for you continuous involvement and unconditional care of the New Haven community wellbeing. Every time you have been involved in a project to improve our community you have not stopped working until the case was resolved. We truly need your leadership to make New Haven a better place.

Thanks Larry. If you can, could you put the tenant who you spoke with in contact with me? We can then get LCI to inspect the inside of the property as well.

Justin Elicker
Ward 10 Alderman
justin.elicker@gmail.com

Justin,
She will contact you shortly via email and you can give her your cell to call you.

Someone needs to take a look at the back yard it is so sad looking. They are ruining that beautiful house because of their lack of attention to it. There are hazards all around that house. My concern is for the children that play at the playgound. Scaffolding could fall and hit someone. Justin as always you are on top of every request. Do you ever sleep? This city truly needs your leadership and you have my 100% support.

Thank you all for your attention to this home. I am very surprised that adjacent neighbors have not insisted that the city move forward to correct the situation. Just for further information. We bought our home on Everit street in 2000. The scaffolding was up on the Canner Street home back then. Granted, the scaffolding was on a different part of the house then, but still up. The owner told us he was very busy with jobs fortunately, and planned to work on the building when he was less busy. He seemed to be making headway at times, but then his efforts would almost reverse in the time that the building sat without the attention it needed. I haven't seen the scaffolding change position or any improvement activity on that home in a few years now.

Dear Justin,
Thank you for your efforts to address our concerns. I have worked at W. Hooker School for 6 years and the situation is the same since then. We have found pieces of rusted scaffolding on the sidewalk and the school playground, and our students are not allowed to play on that side of the school because we fear that the scaffolding could collapse at any time. As you mentioned previously, there has been almost no progress with construction, on the contrary, the scaffolding has been deteriorating causing a safety issue. As always, thank you so much for your help.

Another concern I have is that on 2 separate occasions, I witnessed 2 raccoons coming directly out of an opening in the back of the house. Both occurred at about 7:30 am.

Based on Larry's request here: http://www.seeclickfix.com/issues/392601 I am posting an update about this matter:

The owner has 14 days from today to remove the scaffolding based on the letter sent from the Building Department that was served by CT State Marshall. A letter was sent in February but was returned to the City because it was served on a tenant not the owner.

Feel free to contact Carmen Mendez, LCI Neighborhood Specialist at 203.946.7733 about this matter.

LCI Watcher, 14 days have gone by like the last 15 years and the owner of 188 Canner st has done nothing. What is the next step? Spring is here and the kids are starting to play outside. Are we waiting for a kid to get injured to prosecute this incredibly unresponsive, irresponsabile and careless property owner?

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Another what? Try leaving in front of a dilapidated building for that long and pay premium taxes. Do you call that another agenda? Until the building is fixed or the scaffoldings are gone this issue is not closed.

Another what? Try leaving in front of a dilapidated building for that long and pay premium taxes. Do you call that another agenda? Until the building is fixed or the scaffoldings are gone this issue is not closed.

Our staff is working with the City of New Haven Legal Department (Corporation Counsel).

We will provide an update shortly.

Feel free to contact Carmen Mendez, LCI Neighborhood Specialist at 203.946.7733 about this matter.

LCI Watcher, do you have an update for us?

A site visit was conducted by LCI & the Building Department.

The owner is hopeful to finish this project by the beginning of winter.

The owner has a lot of work to do to get there. We are hopeful the scaffolding will be moved to the rear of the property in the next 90 days.

LCI is sending out a violation Notice for Anti Blight.

Feel free to contact Carmen Mendez, LCI Neighborhood Specialist at 203.946.7733 about this matter.

“The owner is hopeful to finish this project by the beginning of winter." after 15 years of doing nothing? why don't we give him an even looser dead line...let's give him a full year. "The owner has a lot of work to do to get there". Shame on him and his careless inertia. Nobody is feeling his pain here. "We are hopeful the scaffolding will be moved to the rear of the property in the next 90 days." Hopeful again? I have a fundamental question here; what is LCI role and position? If a sales person tells his boss, I am hopeful to reach quota and I am hopeful to call on new customers this quarter I am sure, not hopeful that he will lose his job.

Well said. I agree and sadly enough I am sure, not hopeful, that nothing will be done here again. I really wonder how can the Mayor of New Haven allow this to continue after he has targeted the East Rock Neighborhood with the highest taxes in the city.

Carmen at LCI. I have spoken with teachers and management at W Hooker school and they all report no activities on the house. Please update us. Everybody is furious about this.

The owner has informed our office that work will begin in May 2013 on or about May 10th. Materials are on order.

We will be watching to make sure there is progress over the summer.

"The owner has informed our office that work will begin in May 2013". I believe the owner has been using that excuse for the past 15 years that the scaffolding has been up. We, too, will be watching and notating any progress. In a previous LCI statement:"The owner has a lot of work to do to get there. We are hopeful the scaffolding will be moved to the rear of the property in the next 90 days." The owner has had many years to work on this property and because of his lack of attention to it, this property has dilapidated. As far as the scaffolding, so now he will let it sit in the rear of the house for the next 15 years. Great, now we have that to look forward to.

Hi everyone,

I am frustrated with this issue. In my opinion, the city should give people a second chance, but not more. This property owner has had more than fair warning and the city should begin to enforce the anti blight ordinance. I will continue to push the city to address this issue.

Justin Elicker
Ward 10 Alderman
justin.elicker@gmail.com

Carmen at LCI. I am confused. Isn't the city already enforcing the anti-blight ordinance on this dilapidated building? If not, why?

@ Canner St Homeowner

You are correct this is an active case

Carmen, if the anti-blight ordinance is currently in effect for this property based on your message above dated 2013-03-22 " The owner has 14 days from today to remove the scaffolding based on the letter sent from the Building Department that was served by CT State Marshall" the owner has been fined every day since 4-5-13. Is this correct? If not Why?

FYI,

this is not Carmen....I am the LCI Watcher.

The building department letter is a separate matter.

Our antiblight fine started April 21, 2013.

Just to explain this a bit further, the property owner will be fined $100 a day but LCI has the right to waive these fines if the property owner fixes the issue. In other words, if the property owner is showing progress on cleaning up the house and keeping the timeline that LCI has given them, LCI may waive the fine. But if the property owner isn't making progress, LCI will fine them.

I have a disagreement with LCI on how aggressively they should enforce the timeline on this property, but ultimately there should be movement on this property soon. Please keep commenting on this issue with any progress or lack of progress that you see.

Justin Elicker
Candidate for Mayor
justin.elicker@elicker2013.com

"Our antiblight fine started April 21, 2013". LCI, this is outrageously ridiculous. It only took 15 years? April 21 2013? So as of today the owner has been fined only $1,000 correct?

LCI watcher please respond to the questions above!

You can't go back and retroactively fine, no matter how attractive that might be! :) There's a legal process involved, of formal notices, hearings, etc, and then the daily fine accumulation occurs after that.

FairHavenRes I am not sure way you mean. The question was if the anti blight fine started April 21 2013 per LCI how much has the homeowner paid to date? Very simple question and LCI is not responding.

The information reported above is correct. The fine is $100 per day beginning after the 10th day following notice. No money is collected until a lien is recorded (90 days from from the Civil Citation) at which point legal action may occur to collect the fine ( foreclosure).

Please understand we want the house repaired too.....We understand your desire for movement on this matter and we will be on top of this matter until it is resolved. Our goal is for there to be progress and the owner has committed to begin this rehabilitation.

If there is no progress there will be legal action 100%!

LCI Watcher, thank you for the explanation. My question is why did you wait so long, over 10 years to send the notice and start this process? You have received numerous complaints in the last 8 years at least. Last year this home was on the New Haven Independent too. Link below
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/2_eyesore_owners_pledge_progess/
Please explain.

I recently took on this issue because of comments on See Click Fix.

As you point out the owner has not been able to move this forward for some period of time. This issue was previously seen as a Building Department issue in the eyes of many.

Based on the comments here (SCF) I wanted to act upon the neighbors complaints. I have only been involved in this issue since February of this year.

This is an active Anti-Blight case and I will see this through ....... I will not drop the ball on this one!

I can not explain events of the past....BUT......I can promise that I am committed to seeing this matter resolved.

Thank you LCI Watcher! I hope your efforts will be measured and reworded in "days" not "years". We will all be "watching" your success in resolving this matter. Thank you.