Things turning around on abandoned homes

SAUGUS – On Dec. 18, 1997, James Leccese shot and killed his wife Judith in their home at 23 High St. After calling police to tell them about the murder, he then turned the gun on himself.For close to 15 years the house has sat vacant, with the roof falling apart, and weeds and shrubs seemingly devouring the entire home.But things are slowly turning around for the long-forgotten property, thanks in part to Town Meeting and Affordable Housing Trust member Janet Leuci, who has been working with the Attorney General’s Abandoned Housing Receivership Program to repair vacant homes around Saugus.”This home has quite a history,” said Leuci. “It was terribly overgrown and has essentially been abandoned for 15 years.”Since going to Lynn Housing Court to appoint a receiver, the overgrowth has been removed and the roof has been replaced.”I think 23 High St. is a success,” said Leuci. “We went to court, a receiver was appointed and that was so extraordinary because the property-owner didn’t oppose it. That’s unusual to have everyone in agreement. (Leccese’s) sister inherited the property. She was an elderly lady and couldn’t afford to pay the taxes, which were back over $30,000.”High Street is one of three abandoned properties in Saugus Leuci has been involved with. But it doesn’t always take a receivership to get the job done. Sometimes, Leuci said, just the threat is enough for home-owners to take action, which was the case with a house on Clark Street.”Inside the litter was probably up to your waist,” said Leuci.Deutsche Bank since paid to repair the house and then sold it to a contractor for $90,000.Helen Zucco is the Director of Chelsea Restoration, and has been working with Leuci and the Attorney General in Saugus; she said the abandoned home problem has only been getting worse.”People are just walking away and leaving homes the way they are, and not assuming their responsibility with taxes,” said Zucco. “It becomes a nuisance in the neighborhoods.”Chelsea Restoration has fixed up around 10 homes in Chelsea and Revere since it started in 1977, and since branching out into Saugus for the first time, Zucco said she’s seeing positive results, especially at High Street.”The neighbors have called and they’re really, really pleased with what’s going on now that they see there’s a new roof on the property and all the trees and shrubs have been trimmed away,” said Zucco. “Our plan is to sell it to a first-time home-buyer and we do training for first-time home-buyers here, and we would hope to sell it to a veteran in the town of Saugus.”According to Building Inspector Fred Varone, there’s around a dozen abandoned homes in Saugus.”A lot of them are in foreclosure which can take up to three years and they just sit there,” said Varone.Leuci said the situation is sad not just for the home-owners, but for neighbors as well.”It’s just an awful, awful blight on these neighborhoods, and a safety and health risk,” said Leuci. “You’ve got rats and raccoons, and the possibility of drug addicts getting in there or kids torching these places. I think it’s really great for that neighborhood now to have that property brought up to code and have a family living there. If you lived next to an abandoned house and it was deteriorating, it’s decreasing your property values.”A home at 271/2 Wendell St. is also in rough shape. Windows are boarded up while junked cars lay rusting on an overgrown, weed-covered front lawn.Leuci said the owner told her there’s a buyer lined up, but so far she hasn’t seen any progress on the home.In the meantime, Leuci said she plans to keep working with Zucco and the Attorney General on other homes around Saugus.”We’re lucky that the AG’s office has really been interested in helping,” said Leuci. “We’ve really been fortunate and need to do everything we can to help them. It might give a young couple a chance to own a home.”Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].