ENFORCE NUISANCE CODE VIOLATIONS AT 46 MEAD AVENUE IN BYRAM

To:        Peter Tesei, First Selectman, Town of Greenwich

            Fred Camillo, First Selectman Candidate

            Michael Mason, First Selectman Candidate

            Jill Oberlander, First Selectman Candidate

            Caroline Calderone Baisley, Director of Health, Town of Greenwich

            Amy Siebert, Director of Public Works, Town of Greenwich

            Chris Pratico, Fire Marshal, Town of Greenwich

            Jim Heavey, Chief of Police, Town of Greenwich

            Jodi Couture, Zoning Enforcement Officer, Town of Greenwich

We, the undersigned residents of Greenwich, CT, request that the Town of Greenwich immediately address the health and safety hazards posed by a blighted property at 46 Mead Avenue in Byram that is a nuisance per Sec. 6C of the Greenwich Municipal Code. We believe that the property poses an imminent threat to the public health, safety, and welfare of community residents per Sec. 6C-9, which states that the Nuisance Abatement Officer may take all steps necessary to remove or abate such nuisance and charge all costs to the owners if they do not comply within 72 hours after receipt of an order by the Nuisance Abatement Officer to take action.

Newspaper records and longtime Byram residents confirm that the Town of Greenwich has failed to adequately address existing violations and prevent further violations on the property since the 1960s. In recent years, the neglected and uninhabited property has become severely overgrown and the house has deteriorated to such an extent that it poses a number of threats: water has infiltrated the structure, which may expose lead paint and asbestos to the elements; the chimney has separated from and is leaning away from the house; reports of rodent and raccoon infestation; there are non-operational vehicles on the lawn; and blighted properties diminish the property values of the neighboring homes, as the Town of Greenwich itself has argued. Most importantly, the property is fewer than 500 feet from New Lebanon School and is poorly secured.