Squatters and squalor

Residents complain about code enforcement issues

By Alberto Gilman
Posted 4/19/22

Residents appeared before Newburgh City Council recently, expressing frustrations about the lack of action being taken by the city codes department.

Several weekends ago, a structure fire broke …

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Squatters and squalor

Residents complain about code enforcement issues

Posted

Residents appeared before Newburgh City Council recently, expressing frustrations about the lack of action being taken by the city codes department.

Several weekends ago, a structure fire broke out at 11 South Miller Street in the early morning hours of Saturday, April 9. The fire has left the building uninhabitable and charred from the flames.

City officials said the structure fire started as a result of a lit candle that was used by a squatter living in the vacant building. Several other squatters were also reported to be living in the building at the time and in the adjacent property, 13 South Miller.

City of Newburgh resident, Aura Lopez Zarate, who lives at 9 South Miller St., said her apartment had only suffered water damage as a result of the containment of the fire. However, she was not happy with conversations she has had with the codes department. She said a homeless individual had been living in 11 South Miller for some time.

“The individual who started the fire had been living there for a while now as we’ve heard. He brought in a lot of garbage,” Lopez Zarate said.

The same individual in question, according to Lopez Zarate, had started several other fires in the city on other properties. One fire started by the individual was started the exact same way as the one reported on 11 South Miller.

When asking city residents and neighbors about the individual in question, they confirmed that garbage had been making its way onto the property due to this individual. The individual living at 11 South Miller was mentioned by the name of “Ray”, a homeless individual living here in the city. Lopez Zarate had called several times to the city codes department about this individual yet he continued to live at the property.

David Cordero, another resident of 9 South Miller, said he had also called the code department about the individual who was living in the building and the trash continued to increase over time. “We were calling, we were concerned,” Cordero said.

Mayor Torrance Harvey gave the floor to Charlotte Mountain, the Code Compliance Supervisor to provide a response addressing the public comments.

Mountain said she contacted the owner of 11 South Miller Street.

“We’ve had contact with the owner of the building,” Mountain said. “We have expressed to him that he needs to board up his building. We’ve expressed to him that he needs to clean up his building.”

Mountain said her department has reached out to the owner several times, but no action has been taken.

Tolemi, a data analysis and data management company, lists 11 South Miller in their data registry as a 1,665 square foot one-family residential unit, made up of two floors. The building is listed as vacant and the owner, identified in the records as Samuel Clark III, who does not live on the property. The building has a listed 11 city code violations with the most recent one resulting from the fire that took place on April 9. Most of the code violations are in part due to building maintenance and the accumulation of garbage on the property. Clark could not be reached for comment.

City Corporation Counsel Michelle Kelson said the property owner does own other properties in the city. However, those additional city properties have not been identified. Her legal department is working to address the current situation.

“Property owners really have to take care of their properties,” Councilman Anthony Grice said. “It’s concerning to hear that these building owners are not being held accountable. I know that we need to do better,” Councilwoman Ramona Monteverde said.