Councilman Vacca facilitates cleanup at vacant Throggs Neck property

Councilman Vacca facilitates cleanup at vacant Throggs Neck property|Councilman Vacca facilitates cleanup at vacant Throggs Neck property
Photo courtesy of Councilman Vacca’s offiice|Photo courtesy of Councilman Vacca’s offiice

An eyesore property in Throggs Neck got a major cleanup recently.

A vacant home at 278 Pennyfield Avenue had high weeds and garbage and other debris in its yard.

Cleaning crews from not-for-profit vocational trainer Fedcap removed trash and overgrown weeds from the property, a portion of which was protruding onto the sidewalk adjacent to a bus stop.

Councilman James Vacca, who visited the location before and after the cleanup, sponsored the Fedcap program, which also handles graffiti removal.

“This is an eyesore, and has been in foreclosure for…years and neither the bank or the real estate company has done maintenance,” said Vacca, who added that he also visited with the crew while the cleanup took place.

The Schuyler Hill property, located on Pennyfield at Chaffee Place, became a haven for insects and small animals like skunks, said neighbor Maria Narvaez.

When she first moved into her house, the property was always nicely maintained, said Narvaez.

“The first owners had been living there for years, and the house was beautiful,that ” she said, adding that a new owner proceeded with alterations that drew the attention of city agencies.

Currently, according to the Department of the Buildings, a Stop Work Order is still in effect on work that was being done to the property.

There had been a flurry of DOB complaints in 2010 that included a gut rehabilitation being done without permits.

Those complaints were resolved, but there is still an open violation for a clogged drainpipe and street gutter.

After the house was vacated, it fell into disrepair, Narvaez said, adding that youngsters were able to enter the house because it was not sealed.

“Teenagers started to go in there,” she said. “It was abandoned and no one was in there, and they started to hang around the property.”

Even after the property was sealed, it continued to trend downward, with the property falling into further disrepair.

Narvaez then spoke to Councilman Jimmy Vacca, and she was pleased with the result.

“I went to Councilman Vacca and told him what was going on,” she said. “He told me he would check on it.”

According to the Department of Finance, a tax lien sale certificate on the property was filed recently, on Tuesday, August 25.

The last tax bill for the house was addressed to BABA EYIOGBE CORP., a mortgage processing service that receives mail on Staten Island, according to a source.

Reach Reporter Patrick Rocchio at (718) 260–4597. E-mail him at procchio@cnglocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @patrickfrocchio.
Weeds and other debris were making the vacant house unsightly.
Photo courtesy of Councilman Vacca’s offiice