Lynn to fine homeowner for littering

LYNN – Complaints about several ripped open trash bags and other discarded materials littering the street outside of a multi-unit residence at 23 Nahant St. have prompted city officials to take action against the landlord.However, prior to the city’s enforcement, Dr. David L. Feldman, whose office is located at 19 Nahant St., said he called Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr.’s office and the Health Department about the mounting refuse several times and has yet to receive a satisfying response as to what was being done about it.”There had to be at least 25 bags of trash outside (Tuesday) and there were people going through them like vermin at 7 a.m.,” he said. “I’m sure someone’s lease was up and they threw everything out, but it was all over the sidewalk.”Feldman said he first noticed the problem over the past weekend but is not aware of any prior incidents.”I could live with two bags, but it’s piles and piles of trash,” he said. “I spend about $200 a month to make sure rats don’t come into my building and the trash outside isn’t helping.”Aside from the rotting trash, Health Department Senior Sanitary Inspector Louis Picano said two computer monitors and TV sets were also improperly disposed of.Picano placed a call to building owner Amy Marx to rectify the situation.”We also sent an inspector to the residence to take pictures and we will issue a $150 fine for improperly stored trash because it has been torn open,” he said. “If they don’t pay the ticket, we will take them to court and they’ll have 21 days to pay the fine or it will go to $1,000 a day.”Picano said there were three bags of trash on Monday night and five bags of trash outside of the residence on Tuesday.”We’re working on the situation?this kind of stuff happens all over the city,” he said.Although Picano said the city had a handle on the situation, Feldman said he was confused because a staff member for Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr. told him that the situation was instead out of the city’s hands.”They kept saying that the Department of Public Works (DPW) went down there and that they couldn’t do anything about it,” he said. “I don’t understand – why not?”Mayoral Chief of Staff James Marsh instead insisted that a staff member in fact contacted the owner and explained the situation in an attempt to remedy the problem.”The owner promised to get the area cleaned up right away and apologized on behalf of the tenants,” he said. “We then called Dr. Feldman and explained what was going on and what was going to be done to rectify the situation.”Subsequently, Marsh noted that the Mayor’s office received notification that the trash had indeed been picked up and was placed in bags for the curbside pickup today.