Lynn forecloses on squatters lodging

LYNN – The city has foreclosed on a seemingly abandoned property at 160 Essex St., for non-payment of taxes totaling $28,567 dating back to 2004.Upon inspection of the dilapidated residence, city officials stumbled upon a grimy mess of rotting food, broken bottles of alcohol and human waste.Former owner Pauline Pizza, who is also listed as Pauline Flynn in city records, passed away several years ago, and since then, an unidentified family member and several other squatters have allegedly occupied the unkempt home.Roger Ennis, building inspector for the Inspectional Services Department (ISD), said the smell inside the building was terrible.”It looked like the home had been abandoned and that vagrants were living there,” he said. “But there was no running water, and for all intents and purposes, the utilities were not operable.”Ennis said a few ceilings had collapsed in the home, and the pipes had frozen and likely burst in the winter weather.Evidence of a rodent infestation was also visible, according to Ennis, who saw droppings on the floor and pieces of woodwork that were clearly gnawed.In addition, food was allegedly hung from strings on doorways so that rodents could not reach it and consume it.Ennis said one of the worst rooms in the home was the bathroom.”It was obvious that the plumbing was not working in the bathroom because the tub was being used for human functions and there was waste in there,” he said. “Unfortunately, we’ve seen an awful lot of situations like this before at other properties in the city.”Upon witnessing the filthy home, Ennis declared it uninhabitable and immediately ordered the building to be boarded up to avoid vandalism and vagrants from continuing to take up residence there.Listed as a two-family home, the 5,788 square foot residence was issued a letter from ISD in January in regards to a recent complaint about the front and rear porches that are in serious disrepair.ISD Director Michael Donovan said the Multi-Agency Task Force performed an interior and exterior inspection of the home on Nov. 16, 2007 and ordered the porches to be repaired.Ennis said abutters of the building have filed complaints in the past regarding a certain smell emanating from the residence and that it was unsecured and being occupied.”The place just looked like someone had robbed it and that it was ransacked with everything all over the place,” he said. “But the real problem is that vagrants were apparently going in there in the winter months, and if they light candles, the situation could be very dangerous.”The Health Department has also visited the building.