Owners of collapsed downtown building face citations on other properties
North Main Street and sidewalk were still closed July 17 at the site where the Montgomery Building collapsed a week earlier.
Mark Russo, owner of the building that recently collapsed on North Main Street in Washington, arrives for a late-July appearance in district court.
A two-apartment home at 149 Hall Ave., Washington, was declared unfit for human inhabitation by Washington code enforcement officials. The property is owned by Mark and Melissa Russo, who also own the building at 15 N. Main St., Washington, that partially collapsed in July.
A two-apartment home at 149 Hall Ave., Washington, was declared unfit for human inhabitation by Washington code enforcement officials. The property is owned by Mark and Melissa Russo, who also own the building at 15 N. Main St., Washington, that partially collapsed in July.
Firefighters try to reach Megan Angelone, who was trapped in the rubble of the Montgomery Building in Washington July 12.
The exterior of 350 Duncan Ave., Washington
Residents of 350 Duncan Ave. were forced to move out after Washington code enforcement officials deemed the residence unfit for human inhabitation.
The exterior of a multifamily dwelling at 450 Third Street, right, in Washington
The owners of an apartment building that partially collapsed in downtown Washington last month face almost three dozen new citations for alleged ordinance violations at other rental properties in the city.
City officials filed the 33 citations Wednesday in District Judge Robert Redlinger’s office against Mark Russo, 41, of Washington and his sister, Melissa, of Colorado.
Code enforcement officer Ron McIntyre said he sent notices of the alleged problems to Mark Russo as he inspected Russos’ other properties following the July 12 cave-in of the three-story apartment building at 15 N. Main St. known as the “Montgomery Building.”
Most of the citations concern the properties which city officials recently declared uninhabitable: an apartment building at 350 Duncan Ave. from which the city evicted tenants July 19 – where problems included “overcrowding in units” and “no electrical service in kitchen/bathroom” – and a two-family home at 149 Hall Ave. where walls were “bowing out (and) may collapse” and “toilet/bath leaking into basement.”
Attorney Elizabeth Tarasi acknowledged notices sent to Mark Russo about a multifamily dwelling at 450 Third St. in an Aug. 3 letter to McIntyre.
She told McIntyre her client “is in the process of resolving these issues.” She added, “We are also working on the sale of several of Mr. Russo’s properties.”
Tarasi couldn’t be reached for comment late Wednesday afternoon.
McIntyre said he hadn’t seen “anything permit-wise” or other signs the owners were taking steps to address the problems, and filed the citations “to help move that process along.”
“We’re going to need to see some proof of that – that they’re actually working on bringing (the properties) into compliance,” he said.
Alleged violations were also found at the Russos’ properties at 284 1/2 and 286 N. Franklin St., according to the citations. Among other issues allegedly found at various properties were trash that hadn’t been picked up, doors that needed repairs and missing or decrepit basement hatches.
The Russos were already facing a citation related to the Montgomery when it buckled and trapped Megan Angelone, 37, until first responders freed her from under a refrigerator that protected her from the weight of the rubble. City officials added more in the wake of the collapse. Demolition is underway there.
A hearing on those citations was continued in late July so negotiations between the city and Russo – which city solicitor Steve Toprani said also involve insurance companies – could continue.
Another hearing is set for Aug. 24 before Redlinger.
Toprani said he couldn’t comment on whether the newest citations will become part of those talks, but noted those related to the Montgomery Building are in a separate stage of court proceedings.
“From my understanding and talking to city officials, they want to ensure the safety of the residents,” Toprani said. “So whatever it takes to ensure that, that’s what we’re focused on.”