Christopher Schaefer 4 Congress.Com

Tenants are not separating trash from recycling; blue toters are full of leaves and garbage--and therefore have not been emptied in WEEKS. Yet, remarkably, tenants continue to put the garbage-filled blue toters out on the curb every Tues. night. And, of course, the city does not empty them. Property is owned by MARCOS CALLE (according to tax assessor database).

Tenants @ 302-304 Greenwich Ave. have not put trash toters out for pickup. They are overflowing, full of maggots, malodorous. Property owned by Mandy Management 203-773-9710. Mandy needs to have one of their workers come over and haul the mess away.

Although this vacant lot looks like a great place to raise pasture animals, e.g. cows, sheep, goats, etc. current zoning disallows such. So city needs to mow and clean up this disgraceful-looking, city-owned lot ASAP. It's bad enough when absentee landlords bring down a neighborhood by letting properties become eyesores. It's even more unacceptable when the city which sucks up our tax $$ lets its own properties contribute to neighborhood decline.

The sidewalk in front of this empty lot has become a major dumping ground. Currently there is a large pile of lumber, carpeting, etc.

Catch basin/storm drain at corner of Greenwich Ave. and Third Street currently is draining ok-- BUT the opening immediately behind the iron grate is completely packed with dirt, causing the grate to clog easily during heavy rain.

Large potholes on street, just before George St. entrance & exit driveways of St. Raphael campus, YNHH
(Google street-view shows that this has been patched in the past; perhaps a more permanent hot-asphalt fix is needed, due to constant traffic in & out of these driveways. Note that the damaged portion is owned by the City--not YNHH.)

One of the many aspects of poor-planning that went into the Gateway Community College downtown is that there is no pull-in spot on George St. for the My Ride/Greater New Haven Transit shuttle at Gateway Community College. This causes a MASSIVE traffic jam at rush-hour when this bus parks illegally in the right-turn lane on George St [just before Church St]. It would be rather simple to reduce the sidewalk width here to allow for a pull-in spot for this bus, right in front of the school’s George St. entrance. This still would allow adequate sidewalk width for pedestrians here.

And YOU can help make it happen. Come to our first Greenspace Planting of the Season! On Third Street, between Greenwich Ave. and Howard Ave., this Wednesday, June 4 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM. Meet your neighbors and help us continue to transform our neighborhood into one of the most beautiful areas in New Haven. Then enjoy free Ice Pops—for everyone who helps.
“The better you know your neighbors, the safer your neighborhood becomes.”
Note: We DO plant in the rain, but NOT during thunder storms, to ensure safety. 
El Programa de Greenspace en tu vecindario: ¡Venga a nuestra primera plantación de la temporada! en Third Street entre Howard y Greenwich Ave, el miércoles, 4 de junio, 6 PM-7:30 PM. Conozca a sus vecinos y ayúdanos a crear una de las más bellas zonas de New Haven. Habrá Ice Pops gratis—para todos los que ayudan.
 “Cuanto más conoces a tus vecinos, tu vecindario más seguro se convierte.”
Atención: Plantamos en la lluvia, pero NO trabajamos en las tormentas eléctricas, por nuestra seguridad. 
Chris Schaefer, Your Neighborhood Master Gardener/el jardinero maestro de tu vecindario 203-668-6348 schaeferchristopher@yahoo.com
Plants are provided for FREE by Yale’s Urban Resources Initiative Greenspace program. For more info about this program go to http://www.environment.yale.edu/uri/programs/community-greenspace/
To see one of our planting sessions last year go to https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10201713348219102.1073741839.1342249996&type=1&l=1aa6bf81f7

Tenants attempted to dispose of electronics, bedding, etc. with regular trash and, or course, it was not taken. So it's now sitting on the tree strip making a huge mess. --REPEAT OFFENDERS--. [absentee] Owner = Kenneth Barclay (who needs to half a talk with his tenants).

Very deep potholes on George St., just before Church St. & in front of entrance to Gateway Community College

Mattress dumped on tree strip at 222 Hallock AVENUE (near corner of Second St.)

A dismembered sofa has been dumped on the treestrip in front of 306 Howard Ave. Owner is Kenneth Barclay.

314-316 Howard Ave has TVs, monitors, etc. dumped on treestrip. Owner (according to Appraisal database) is SHEMESH LLC [aka Menachem Yosef Levitin].

A pile of broken furniture, trash, etc. has been dumped on First St. near the Galvin Park sign.
(It had been in a shopping cart, so I thought it "belonged" to a local metal scrapper and figured he/she would retrieve it . However the cart now has been removed and the trash left in a heap, so city needs to remove it.)

Growing potholes on Second St., between Howard Ave & Greenwich Ave. (Cold patch now, but come warm weather these suckers are going to need hot asphalt.)

Yet another street lamp out in this area: on Howard Ave. @ corner of First Street, pole # 1071
I've reported a number of non-functioning streetlamps in the First Street area over the past 2 months, and not a one even has been "acknowledged" by the city. Is SeeClickFix no longer the proper place to report streetlamps that are out? I fear we slowly, slowly are slipping into an ever darker abyss, never again to see the light...
"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."
Edgar Allan Poe
"As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being."
Carl Jung

Street Lamp out, just left of 242 Hallock AVENUE, pole # 607_ (So note that there are 2 adjacent street lamps out on Hallock AVENUE.)

Street Lamp out just left of 240 Hallock AVENUE, pole # 5428

Some New Haven anti-blight ordinance* definitions and quotes relevant to this building, with examples of “blighted” and “dilapidated” on this particular building, known as 86 Second St. [aka 369-371 Greenwich Ave.] and owned by Kirsten Hopes-McFadden of North Haven:
• “‘Blighted’ shall mean deteriorating, in a state of ill repair, filthy or decaying….”
• “’Dilapidated’ shall mean a building or structure or part thereof that would not receive a certificate of occupancy if it were applied for…"
• Examples of both at 86 Second Street include
• Rotted cornice molding at front-left and rear-left corners of roof, holes in said cornice covered with scraps of metal but allowing entrance of birds and squirrels;
• Rotted molding of overhang, between exterior 1st floor and 2nd floor. Over front exterior entrance to 2nd floor, ends of said molding merely were filled with expanding foam, still allowing entrance of birds, squirrels, insects and water—but not repaired;
• rotted, split eave boards under 2nd floor front windows (of said overhang between 1st and 2nd floor)
• Aforementioned split eave boards contain a massive wasp nest, such that tenants on 2nd floor cannot open front windows in summer;
• Rotted, split eave of this same overhang “repaired” with expanding foam: where it terminates on right side/Greenwich Ave. side of building
• Rotted top-trim [lintel boards] over BOTH small windows on left, 1st floor side of building
• new plywood eave that was added to left side of building [after original collapsed, along with much of the roof, into neighbor’s driveway] was NOT completed at front corner: it does not meet properly with the eave return
• this entire new eave—illegally installed by unlicensed contractor—was attached with drywall screws rather than exterior-grade fasteners—and therefore is likely to collapse again soon; it also has not been painted or covered with siding to protect this new eave from weather damage;
• this same new plywood eave and facia on left side of building already is water-stained at joints due to water infiltration: likely caused both by lack of gutter maintenance as well as incompetently installed new roof
• gutters not maintained: overflow when raining, because they never have been cleaned. As noted above, this also is damaging eave and facia
• Rotted eave returns on the front of building were “repaired” in slap-dash manner by unlicensed—i.e. illegal—contractor ; they were not “continued” properly where they meet the side eaves; and both “returns” are about to collapse due to contractor’s incompetence: they are barely secured to the building! This is an IMMEDIATE hazard to pedestrians and tenants
• “building contains unauthorized storage or accumulation of junk, trash, rubbish, litter or refuse”: behind and in front of the garages
• The rotted door at top of rear, exterior stairway is an INterior-grade lauan door—not rated for exterior use. This creates an immediate security problem for tenants—and is a fire hazard.
• many exterior clapboards are split, shedding paint [lead paint?] everywhere and allowing water infiltration; the most-heavily damaged clapboards are on left side of building; this is causing structural damage/rot to building’s sill and framing and is adding to persistent mold problem inside apartments; inspector needs to examine sill from inside basement. ***HOUSING COURT and LCI should NOT resolve tenant’s mold and dampness complaint [see below] until this is resolved. *** Otherwise mold remediation in apartment only will be very temporary.
• mold and algae are on window sills at building’s left side—due to malfunctioning gutters and general lack of maintenance
• birds are nesting inside furnace air-intake vents on left side of building, due to lack of guards here to keep out birds/rodents; this is a carbon monoxide hazard!
• Plywood siding is rotted under concrete roof edge at REAR of brick/cinderblock addition (between garage and wood frame part of building): i.e. along rear, exterior wood stairway
• huge pile of dry leaves under rear, exterior wood stairway—creating immediate fire hazard
• rotted trim where wood of building abuts concrete sidewalk, at the angled, corner doorway of 1st floor unit numbered “371” [Greenwich]
• “It is a fire hazard as determined by the fire marshal, or as documented in fire department reports.” About 10 days ago members of the New Haven Fire Dept. spent considerable time photographing the exterior of this building. I suspect they have a report which LCI can access.
Owner Kirsten Hopes-McFadden (and “agent”/spouse Tillman “Tim” McFadden) of North Haven were ordered by LCI to fix numerous problems with 2nd floor apartment of 86 Second ST. back in Oct, 2013; they were re-ordered in Feb, 2014—and finally had to be taken to Housing Court this month by the tenant to commence repairs.
***WHY DID LCI allow the problem to drag out so long that the tenant had no recourse but to bypass LCI—and go to Housing Court for repairs to commence??***
“blighted lots and buildings adversely affect the city's economic well-being, and are inimical to the health, safety and welfare of the city's residents…It is found and declared that by reason of lack of maintenance and progressive deterioration, certain structures and properties have the further effect of creating blighted conditions and initiating slums, and that if the same are not curtailed and removed, the aforesaid conditions will grow and spread and will necessitate in time the expenditures of large amounts of public funds [i.e. taxpayers money!] to correct and eliminate the same.” (from Anti-blight and property maintenance ordinance; . Declaration of Policy*)
It is part of LCI’s responsibilities to ENFORCE the Anti-blight ordinance. It is my hope that neighbors will not need to turn to the courts—as the tenant did—in order to get LCI to carry out its responsibilities as they relate to 86 Second Street.
ADDITIONALLY, due to owner’s persistent history of hiring incompetent, unlicensed, illegal contractors to perform hazardous, makeshift repairs, LCI needs to INSIST that above-mentioned problems be repaired by a state-licensed, insured contractor—as is required by CT state law. And LCI should insist on PROOF of said licensure and insurance by the contractor. It is ILLEGAL in the state of CT for contractors to be working without licensure: http://www.ct.gov/dcp/cwp/view.asp?q=274440 Note that Building officials are prohibited from issuing building permits unless they receive a copy of the contractor’s valid Certificate of Registration http://www.ct.gov/dcp/cwp/view.asp?a=4308&q=507962
(or Google “Connecticut department of consumer protection”)
* New Haven, Connecticut, Code of Ordinances >> TITLE III - CODE OF GENERAL ORDINANCES >> Chapter 9 - BUILDINGS AND PROPERTY >> ARTICLE II. BUILDING DIVISION OF THE LIVABLE CITY INITIATIVE, Sec. 9-51 Anti-blight and property maintenance ordinance. http://library.municode.com/HTML/14668/level3/TITIIICOGEOR_CH9BUPR_ARTIIBUDILIIN.html#TITIIICOGEOR_CH9BUPR_ARTIIBUDILIIN_S9-51ANIGPRMAOR Duties of LCI [The Livable City Initiative] are more fully described here: http://library.municode.com/HTML/14668/level3/TITIIICOGEOR_CH21PLDE_ARTIVLIIN.html#TOPTITLE
(or Google “New Haven Connecticut Code of Ordinances”)
See beginning of this post; would this building receive a certificate of occupancy if it were applied for??...
faxed copy to Bld dept: Fax (203) 946-8049; LCI: fax (203) 946-4899
emailed copy to: Erik Johnson, LCI Executive Director, ejohnson@newhavenct.net
cc’d: Rafael Ramos, Deputy Director of Housing Code Enforcement, RRamos@newhavenct.net
Edward Rodriguez, LCI Housing Code Inspector, Erodrigu@newhavenct.net
Zephaniah Ben-Elohim, LCI Housing Code Inspector, Zbelohi@newhavenct.net
Christopher Soto, LCI Neighborhood Specialist - Hill North & Hill South, CSoto@newhavenct.net