Swampscott single room only home a cause for concern

SWAMPSCOTT – Some town officials are concerned about the impact a rooming house at 246 Humphrey St. – where a Level 3 sex offender lives and a convicted child rapist resided until recently – is having on the neighborhood.Detective Sgt. Tim Cassidy said the Level 3 sex offender who lives there has a 1992 conviction for indecent assault and battery on a child and a 1999 conviction for indecent assault and battery on a person aged 14 or older.”From time to time people with criminal backgrounds live there,” Cassidy said. “There was someone living there who was very recently convicted of a sex crime. He was convicted on five counts of rape of a child. Since January 2010, we have been dispatched on more than 30 calls there. We have served court papers, responded to domestic violence calls, assaults, identity theft and other problems. We do receive a high volume of calls to that property.”Former selectman Reid Cassidy, who works as a probation officer, said he has been inside the SRO (or single room only)property on several occasions during the last couple of years.”It’s nasty, dirty and filthy,” he said. “It’s disgusting on the inside. It’s certainly not something you expect to see or want to see in Swampscott, especially on Humphrey Street.”Public Health Director Jeffrey Vaughan said there have been problems with mice and trash in the area.”There was a gentleman living there several months ago who was bringing in junk and leaving it in the back,” Vau-ghan said. “We had to contact the owner and have it cleaned up. There have been trash problems there off and on.”The facility is a residential/commercial building with 11 bedrooms and it has an assessed value of $695,200, according to town records.It is owned by Humphrey Street LLC and tax bills are sent to 93 Atlantic Ave., which is owned by William and Jodi Gateman.Records at the Secretary of State’s Office affirm William Gateman is the resident agent and the signatory.”It is what it is,” William Gateman said. “It’s a boarding house. It is being managed by a property management company and as far as I know there are no problems down there. There are three very respectable businesses in that building.”