On Monday March 28, 2005 at 10:00 a.m. in front of 806 Nugent Avenue, Midland Beach, New York City Council Member James S. Oddo (R- Mid-Island/Brooklyn) was joined by Richmond County Public Administrator Gary D. Gotlin to announce the resolution to a long-standing problem that has plagued the Midland Beach community for years.
Since 2001, Council Member Oddo received complaints from constituents about the possibility of squatters living at the location and filthy conditions. Council Member Oddo immediately sent letters to various City agencies to investigate this location. He also sent letters to the owner of record of the property, Theresa Cavanna. From 2001 to 2004, the New York City Department of Health cleaned and exterminated the location on various occasions in response to letters from Council Member Oddo. After reviewing Department of Finance records, it was discovered that Ms. Cavanna owed $869.25 in back taxes and approximately $16,000 to the Departments of Health, Sanitation, and Housing Preservation and Development. Council Member Oddo’s office attempted to contact Ms. Cavanna again.
Council Member Oddo’s Legal Counsel Tom Ognibene put forth the suggestion of a unique solution – to get the Richmond County Surrogate to appoint Public Administrator Gary D. Gotlin to assume jurisdiction over the estate and property. This would allow the Public Administrator to have control over all assets and property to proceed. Details of the resolution of this problem will be provided at the press conference.
The illegal buildings owned by Paul Burke were vacated, sealed and torn down (19 Hempstead Avenue).
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Councilman Oddo watches as 19 Hempstead Avenue, the infamous “Bungalow on Steroids,” which was the scene for a great deal of criminal and other nefarious activity in Midland Beach for more than a decade, is torn down. The Department of Buildings issued an emergency declaration after deeming the structure as unsafe. The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development was responsible for its destruction on June 4, 2007.
