LYNN — The City Council has voted to demolish a Chancery Court home that has been the site of at least 20 overdoses in the past five years.
The council voted to raze 5-7 Chancery Court in November, but tabled the action because a resident, Richard Gonzalez, who spoke in opposition, said he would go into detox and there would be no more problems with the building.
But there was another overdose at the house in January, according to City Councilor Richard Colucci, who opted last month to put demolition back on the table. He said the council had tabled the matter to give the man the benefit of the doubt, but the building’s fate was determined by the panel earlier this week, who again voted to demolish it.
“Sixty-one total police calls, 29 overdoses, six deceased over four years,” said Colucci, the ward councilor for the area. “It’s a problem. The neighbors of the building don’t come here (the council meeting) because they’re afraid. I feel bad for the woman, but you know what, it’s got to stop.”
The woman Colucci was referring to is the owner of the two-family house, Krystyna Gonzalez, and the mother of Richard. She spoke at Tuesday’s council meeting, also opposing the demolition.
She said she has lived at the home for 15 years and never had a complaint from any neighbors, a fight with anybody and now people are saying they’re afraid to walk their dogs. She said she didn’t know why neighbors were complaining about the house.
“I used to have a problem with my tenants,” Krystyna said. “I (had) to go to court and throw them out of the house. Now, I have wonderful tenants — they have three children and there’s no needles in the house. I don’t know why the people want my property. If they want my house to build condos or something or to the parking lots, I’m not sure.
“Please don’t take my house away because where am I going to go? Please help me. Don’t kick me out of my house. I want to die there.”
Angela Foley, Richard Gonzalez’s sister-in-law, said previously that people from the nearby condominium complex, referring to 12 Chancery Court, wanted to buy their house years back to make it into parking. She said their property is wanted for a parking lot, which is where she thinks this is all coming from.
Richard Gonzalez said on Tuesday he did live at the property, but moved out since the last hearing. He said he understands that they came to agreement with Colucci about the building’s fate resting on another overdose, but the call he was referring to was for a medical condition, not an overdose.
“We have been trying to clean up that property since, so I do apologize for the people who have been living there for four years,” Gonzalez said. “People do have friends, relatives, and we do rent out that apartment. My mother has since evicted that problem apartment.”
Gonzalez said his mother is elderly and is afraid to call medical services now if she does have a medical problem.
“I feel this is not right,” he said. “You guys are concentrating on one piece of property … What about all the other landlords, or properties with tenants that are drug addicts or selling drugs and this or that?”
City Council vice-president Buzzy Barton said he’s received many calls on the house and a lot of neighbors were afraid to appear before the council to speak about 5-7 Chancery Court. He said there’s a lot of intimidation going on at the house.
“I think what we have here is very disturbing and just the amount of police presence at this dwelling is taking our police force, and it’s really exasperating and stressing an already underfunded police department that they have to be making calls to this sheer amount over a short period of time,” said City Councilor Brian LaPierre.
“Not only our police, but when you dispatch police, EMTs, fire — those are all precious city resources that we cannot afford right now in this city to continue down this track. This is atrocious and the folks that are residing there seem to be delusional as to what’s happening at this property,” he said.
City Council President Darren Cyr said the three pages of police calls he had regarding the property showed elderly abuse at the top of one of the pages.
“When you came here a month and a half ago, we made a deal with you and you haven’t lived up to that deal,” Cyr said. “No councilor in this room wants to take their house away from anybody. But you keep using the resources and keep your neighbors living in fear and I’ve also received calls from the neighbors down there. It’s completely unfair what you’ve done to that neighborhood and you promised us last time that you were going to get some help. You think it’s easy for us to make a decision like this? You put us in this position.”
Vincent LoRusso, a neighbor who has lived at 12 Chancery Court for four years, said he feels better knowing that the house will be demolished.
“I’m hoping that it doesn’t take a long time to happen and that just prolongs it and after awhile, you won’t feel better about it,” he said. “You’ll wonder what’s happening. I don’t feel bad about it. I feel relieved.”
LoRusso and his wife, Marion, submitted a letter to the council in favor of demolition.
“The constant visitors arrive at all hours — day and night,” the letter reads. “Some stay only for a moment, then they are gone, some overnight. The police reports confirm to us that the visitors are all there to purchase, sell, or use drugs. We have been awakened at all hours to screaming from the unit, as well as car horns announcing a buy or sale in progress. We are unable to enjoy our property in warmer months due to noise and the constant comings and goings at the property.”
But Clint Muche, the deputy building commissioner, said there is not any plan to demolish the building. He said the Inspectional Services Department budget does not include any money for the razing of buildings.
“Ordering demolition without a related budgetary move does not leave us with the ability to effectuate that order,” Muche said.
Lynn Police Lt. Michael Kmiec said police records show there have been 20 suspected heroin overdoses at the residence since 2013, with two fatalities. The two overdose deaths occurred in March 2014 and September 2015. Those figures don’t account for the council-reported overdose from January. The last police-reported overdose is from September.
