By Angeljean Chiaramida
Staff writer
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SALISBURY — The five families displaced when town officials declared their 14 Ocean St. apartment building uninhabitable formed a picket line yesterday with signs intended to get Jack Kitzis, of 17 Broadlawn Ave., Chestnut Hill, out of hiding.
"The town building inspector, the Board of Health, they've all been calling him, trying to get Jack Kitzis on the phone, and he won't return calls," said Tina Whitney, a 15-year tenant at 14 Ocean St. "When you call Jack Kitzis to ask him to fix something, he has nothing but excuses. When I called him and asked him why we're in this situation, he said the town is telling him to do this, the town is telling him to do that, and he's lying through his teeth."
After months of trying to get Kitzis to make major safety and health repairs to his buildings at 14 Ocean St. and 43 Railroad Ave., town officials last week declared the building at 14 Ocean St. unsafe for habitation, requiring the 15 people who live in its five apartments to move out quickly.
The crisis came on Aug. 5, when firefighters responded to a request for medical assistance from a second-floor tenant. Upon arrival, firefighters found the only staircase to the second floor hanging by a thread, held up by the live exterior electrical panel, which itself was unstable.
Building Inspector Dave Lovering ordered the electricity shut off for safety's sake, and fire Chief Rick Souliotis had the stairs torn down to prevent potential injury. Given a short period of time to respond, tenants were ordered to collect the bare essentials and leave, with those on the second floor taken out via fire department ladders.
Kitzis was called and arrived at the building that night, agreeing to put the tenants up for one night at the Beachway Motel. But, since then, he's made himself scarce, not answering the phone or returning calls when messages were left, including those from The Daily News.
In May, cited by the town for numerous violations of health, building and fire prevention codes, Kitzis was ordered to hire certified workmen and make repairs within 30 days. Included were emergency repairs to the stairs, removing stockpiles of accumulated garbage in the courtyard, adding secondary access to second-floor apartments, adding required carbon monoxide detectors, and repairing inadequate windows, kitchen facilities, heating, plumbing and electrical systems. When The Daily News contacted Kitzis in May, he said he wanted to work with the town and make the repairs. However, according to Board of Health Chairwoman Joanne Housianitis, only trash was removed. Town Manager Neil Harrington said since May Kitzis has done nothing but "drag his feet."
When by mid-July Kitzis hadn't followed through with the required repairs, Salisbury Health Inspector Jack Morris sent him another letter, giving him until mid-August to make the listed repair, Harrington said. But that was before town officials became aware of the continued deterioration of the stairs — the only access to second-floor apartments — and the danger the rotting electrical box posed to the safety of tenants.
Town officials and social service agencies scrambled to respond to tenants left without shelter and food. They have also been trying to get Kitzis to rebuild the stairs, relocate the electrical box and add a second egress to second-floor apartments.
If Kitzis makes the three repairs, the electricity could be turned back on and the building would no longer be considered uninhabitable. However, Kitzis has not responded to calls from Lovering or Morris, and the future looks grim for tenants given Kitzis' history, Harrington said.
Kitzis purchased the buildings at 14 Ocean St., and 43 Railroad Ave. in February 2008 from former owner Steven Belfiore for $650,000, according to town records. Together, there are 11 apartments in the building, five on Ocean Street and six on Railroad Avenue. According to tenants, rents range from $650 to $925 per month.
Whitney said that since Kitzis purchased the building, her rent has risen by $50 a month, and she began to have problems getting Kitzis to make repairs needed.
"But I have never missed paying my rent on time," she said. "My rent was due on July 15; I paid it, and he cashed the check. Tell me why he hasn't fixed what needs to be fixed? He's cashing our rent checks; he has our money. He told the tenants he'd meet them at 7 a.m. (Friday) morning to discuss giving back security deposits and rents. But he never showed up. He's conniving the tenants; he's conniving the town.
"I pay my rent in good faith every month, and Jack Kitzis left me in a place that was unsafe. It's just not right. This isn't even fair to other people who live on this block. It could affect the value of their property as well," she said.
Although he has paid for additional nights at hotels for two tenants, after Thursday night, most have fended for themselves, paying for hotels or relying on family and friends. For many, like Whitney, it's been costly.
"He told me to pay for the hotels myself; then, he'd take it off my future rent," Whitney said. "Right. What are the chances that's going to happen? We can't get him to come out of hiding."
Whitney said neighbors and her employer have reached out to help her during this stressful time, but tenants had until 7 a.m. yesterday to get their belongings out of the building before town workers boarded it up to secure it against vandalism and looting.
Whitney and other tenants plan to attend Monday night's Board of Selectmen's meeting to discuss the situation. She's hoping the town can force Kitzis to come out of hiding and make repairs so that she and others can return to their homes.
"Why am I homeless?" Whitney asked. "Where is Jack Kitzis?"
