Schenectady code sweep upsets homeowners

Several residents of the city’s Goose Hill neighborhood say they feel picked on by code enforcement as officials cited them for minor repairs during a sweep on Monday.

Schenectady’s annual Neighborhood Code Compliance Review left property owners near Union College frustrated with the city’s Code Department. They blasted the city for abandoned homes that attract crime, high property taxes and unfair code inspections.

“This is just awful,” said Wanda Neale, 73, who has lived at her home on Hattie Street for 19 years. “I pay my taxes, and taxes are so high. They’re picking on people, and that’s not right.”

Code enforcement issued a notice for Neale to fix her concrete steps, which are starting to crumble, and to install a new railing.

“We had a bad winter,” she said. “I will get it fixed but I am on Social Security and don’t have a high income.”

As part of the code review, Neale was handed an orange sheet of paper that requires a response within 15 days. After the 15 days she has another 30 days to get the issues fixed and brought up to code.

“This is not the city, this is New York state code,” city Building Inspector Eric Shilling said to Neale as they stood outside her home across from Fire Station No. 4. “We’re trying to help.”

Neale pointed to the fire station, asking why the city hasn’t fixed the exterior of the building, which has peeling paint on the side facing Hattie Street. Councilman Vince Riggi said he believes the code reviews are positive for the neighborhoods but knocked the city for not keeping up with repairs to its own properties.

Neale is planning to sell her home soon — she’s hoping her son will take it off her hands — and move into an apartment complex in the city.

Members of code enforcement, along with officials from the city’s fire and police departments, walked along Hattie Street, Van Vranken Avenue and Carrie Street for about two hours Monday morning inspecting the outsides of businesses and homes.

They taped the orange sheets of paper, asking property owners to call code enforcement, to doors of homes they flagged for exterior repairs including chipped paint, missing siding and deteriorating roofs.

“It’s about letting homeowners know about the little problems that are sometimes overlooked,” said Shilling. “We are issuing courtesy notices, and people have a total of 45 days before it becomes a court appearance.”

Police Chief Brian Kilcullen said the goal of the neighborhood code reviews is to enhance quality of life. He said sharing information among city departments helps build neighborhoods and reduce crime.

“We have seen a reduction in crime in our hot spots,” he said. “We have additional resources in those areas. We are sharing information with other departments because we don’t have all of the resources to reduce those numbers.”

Mayor Gary McCarthy said coordinated and ongoing code reviews will have a big impact on neighborhoods by helping to increase home values and reduce costs in general services.

“When we call for the police that generally means everything else has failed,” he said. “When people do something quick or bypass the building code, there’s usually a repercussion from that. All too often we have a major fire or incident related to the building code that has not been adhered to.”

The Fire Department looks for fire hazards, such as loose wiring and blocked doors, in an effort to prevent fires, said Fire Chief Ray Senecal.

He said the department, along with code enforcement, also keeps an eye on boarded buildings in neighborhoods, which attract vandalism and sometimes squatters.

“This is very positive for us to get out early and take a look at things going on so we’re not out at 3 a.m. for a structure fire,” Senecal said. “Our role is to prevent an issue from happening rather than reacting to it.”

Neale’s neighbor, Valerie Seegobin, 69, was cited by code enforcement to repair her chimney, which is starting to deteriorate.

“We have the highest taxes and they’re citing me for a chimney,” said Seegobin, who has lived in her home on Hattie Street for 12 years. “I don’t even use the chimney. I think I need to sell the house.”

Shilling suggested she remove the chimney completely and cap it. He complimented Seegobin’s home, which she said was more than 100 years old.

“You’ve done a great job,” he said. “The house is beautiful.”

Down the street on Hattie, Maria Perri was also cited for several issues.

The city is requiring her to fix her front railing, replace missing shingles and repair a sewer pipe.

“There’s always something, so many things with City Hall,” Perri said. She has lived on Hattie Street for the past 45 years.

McCarthy said the city last year had more than 80 percent compliance from courtesy notices for code violations. He said the city has also seen a 30 percent reduction in serious crimes from the five-year average.

“Those individuals that put their interests above the common sense and good of the community, I don’t want them here as property owners,” McCarthy said. “We’re going to do whatever we can to enforce and make sure the appropriate penalties are put upon them.”

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