[Chat] Fwd: 300 E. Lorraine Street abandoned house status

oldhousehistory at aol.com oldhousehistory at aol.com
Wed May 6 21:54:09 EDT 2009


 Dawna!  That's my next course of action.  However, I leaned that when you email the Mayor with those listed as being inactive, you get results fast; apparently it will enter the next round of famed Citi-stat results.  I'll retain that in the future.  I heard back immediately from Councilman Young, and from one of those individuals previously inactive via their blackberry tonight at 9:30 pm.  

That helps to conform to me that the city has really dropped the ball on this, and cost us all tens of thousands of lost tax revenue over the years.  Somebody got away with tax fraud, big time!

I'll follow through, and let everyone know the status. I've been really patient, and this case made its way through the courts, only to be dropped with lack of enforcement afterwards, for two years.     

Paul     


 


 

-----Original Message-----
From: dawnacobb at mindspring.com
To: The Charles Village Chat List <chat at charlesvillage.info>
Sent: Wed, 6 May 2009 8:43 pm
Subject: Re: [Chat] Fwd: 300 E. Lorraine Street abandoned house status









Paul:How about going to one of the investigative news reporters at Channel 11 or one of the other stations?  Dawna



-----Original Message-----

From: oldhousehistory at aol.com

Sent: May 6, 2009 8:13 PM

To: Chat at charlesvillage.info, Discussion at charlesvillage.info

Subject: [Chat] Fwd: 300 E. Lorraine Street abandoned house status





 Believe it or not, NO reaction from our elected and government personnel to20my Sunday rant about the contempt of court case concerning the abandoned house at 300 E Lorriane!  



I'm now interested in how much tax revenue we have all lost from this house continuing to be taxed at an owner occupied rate, when in fact, its been completely abandoned since 2004, and the owner has been in contempt of court for six months.  Despite a $500 per day fine imposed last November, she was allowed to pay property tax of just $650 in February: something is seriously out of sync in the city government, or the owner knows the right people at City Hall.  Paul             





 





 



-----Original Message-----

From: oldhousehistory at aol.com

To: Jason.Hessler at baltimorecity.gov; MaryPat.Clarke at baltimorecity.gov; Michael.Braverman at baltimorecity.gov; Bernard.Young at baltimorecity.gov; ugagrad93 at yahoo.com; Donna.Fairweather at baltimorecity.gov; mayor at baltimorecity.gov

Sent: Wed, 6 May 2009 7:51 pm

Subject: 300 E. Lorraine Street abandoned house status 















 Mayor Shelia Dixon:





I have been pressing, complaining, and following the court case concerning the clearly abandoned and rapidly deteriorating property at 300 E. Lorraine Street in Charles Village to no avail.  Sunday, I learned to my disgust, tha
t this blighted property is being taxed at the owner occupied rate: no one can, nor has, occupied the house since 2004 (even the vagrants have run away).    





I notified the people I've been working with 
for two years now with modest to no success (in the to: line above) on Sunday, and NOT ONE has replied, not even a polite reply saying work is in progress, concerning the myriad ongoing problems outlined below, which have been previously reported over two years ago now.  





So I ask you as mayor: Why is this house being taxed as a resident occupied house after 5 years as an abandoned property, and why has her contempt of court case not been enforced a full year later?  The house was to have been torn down in December of 2007.  How can the tax office accept a tax payment in February of this year, when she is in contempt of court to transfer sell or demolish the house, as condemned, and accept her claim that it is owner occupied?  This is tax fraud, and the owner needs to be retroactively fined and taxed as an abandoned property.     





In my opinion, you all have failed us residents miserably, and I'm now going to the press20to expose this gross inaction.  Paul             








 





-----Original Message-----


From: paul Williams <oldhousehistory at aol.com>


To: 'Hessler, Jason, "Acting Director, Code20Enforcement Legal"' <Jason.Hessler at baltimorecity.gov>; 'Clarke, Mary Pat (Baltimore City)' <MaryPat.Clarke at baltimorecity.gov>; 'Braverman, Michael "Deputy Commissioner"' <Michael.Braverman at baltimorecity.gov>


Cc: 'Young, Bernard (Baltimore City)' <Bernard.Young at baltimorecity.gov>; ugagrad93 at yahoo.com; 'Fairweather, Donna' <Donna.Fairweat
her at baltimorecity.gov>


Sent: Sun, 3 May 2009 8:04 pm


Subject: RE: 300 E. Lorraine Street



































Ladies=2
0& Gentlemen!







 







I’ve been patiently waiting for information from you all on this
ongoing problematic vacant house (now full of mold) which I’ve been complaining
about for years (see below).  I had hoped to find resolution to the problem
through the normal channels, as the court system was making progress in her
contempt case.    Today, I watched the rain pour into the basement from the
back roof and noticed that the windows are so black with mold one can’t see
inside.  







 







When I went to look the house up today (300 E. Lorraine – Square
3837, lot 66) on the real property tax database, imagine my anger at finding
that the owner not only paid her taxes in February (on a condemned house where
she is in contempt of court), but that she LISTED THE HOUSE AS HER PRICIPAL
RESIDENCE.  And, she got the residential tax rate (about $1400 per year), which
I’m sure she has obviously been getting for several years,
even with
condemnation proceedings now over two years old.  Nobody can, or has, lived
in the house since 2004.  







 







We moved into an adjoining house facing the shared alley in
2003.  Even the illegal vagrants moved out in 2004 because of the de
teriorated condition. 
 How can the city allow someone to claim this condemned property as her principal
residence?  She was found in contempt of court, and was subject to a $500 per
day fine beginning in November of 2008.    







 







I was assured action by my elected officials for several years
now, and thought our communication last November ensured that this house be
torn down.  Now I need to expose this illegal and embarrassing theft from
our cit
y coffers, and I intend on doing so by any public means possible,
beginning with the media on Tuesday morning, unless I hear from you with its
current status, the house is scheduled to be torn down, her $500 per day fine
is being p
aid, and she will be taxed retro-actively at the vacant rate; or
otherwise assured that my city officials are doing their job.   







 







Paul 







 












Paul K. Williams







2629 Guilford Avenue







Baltimore, MD 21218







BaltimoreMarylandHistory.com












 

















From: Hessler, Jason,
"Acting Director, Code Enforcement Legal"
[mailto:Jason.Hessler at baltimorecity.gov] 




Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 2:35 PM



To: oldhousehistory at aol.com; Clarke, Mary Pat (Baltimore City);
Braverman, Michael "Deputy Commissioner"



Cc: Young, Bernard (Baltimore City); ugagrad93 at yahoo.com; Fairweather,
Donna



Subject: RE: 
300 E. Lorraine Street

















 












Mr.
Williams:

















 

















The
file was requested from the field and a contempt case was filed against Ms.
Neal to enforce the court order that required her to raze, rehabilitate or
transfer 300 E.  Lorraine.  I have not seen the returns from the
District Court but we expect the initial hearing to be on November 25th,
501 E. Fayette Street between 8:30 a.m. -12p.m.  Generally in a contempt
case=2
0the court would provide the owner with a deadline to comply with the
original order.  A daily fine automatically applies (usually $500 per
day) if the owner fails to meet the deadline.  We will contact you
when we have confirmed the court date.

















Jason
Hessler, Esquire 



Acting Director




Baltimore
Housing 



Code
Enforcement Legal Section 



417 E. Fayette
Street, #202 



Baltimore, Maryland
21202 



410-396-4140




Fax
410-385-8689 



www.baltimorehousing.org
























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-----Original Message-----



From: oldhousehistory at aol.com [mailto:oldhousehistory at aol.com]



Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 12:21 PM



To: Clarke, Mary Pat (Baltimore City); Braverman, Michael "Deputy
Commissioner"; Hessler, Jason, "Acting Director, Code Enforcement
Legal"



Cc: Young, Bernard (
Baltimore City); ugagrad93 at yahoo.com



Subject: Re: 300 E. Lorraine Street












Gentlemen;  Its been more than two weeks since our
inquiry, and Mary Pat nor I have heard even one email from you regarding this
property.  







I'm rapidly going from a concerned citizen to an angry citizen.  The
property was ordered by the court to be torn down nearly a year ago. 
Taxpayers are losing money as it is listed as owner occupied in the tax rolls
for the past 5 years, when in fact, its abandoned and uninhabitable.  It
sho
uld prove to make for an interesting story to the media.  







Paul Williams   

















 

















 












-----Original Message-----



From: Clarke, Mary Pat <MaryPat.Clarke at baltimorecity.gov>



To: Braverman, Michael "Deputy Commissioner" (City of Baltimore)
<Michael.Braverman at baltimorecity.gov>; Hessler, Jason, "Acting
Director, Code Enforcement Legal" (City of Baltimore)
<Jason.Hessler at baltimorecity.gov>



Cc: Young, Bernard <Bernard.Young at baltimorecity.gov>;
oldhousehistory at aol.com



Sent: Mon,
 29 Sep 2008 9:26 am



Subject: FW: 300 E. Lorraine Street






















Dear Mr. Braverman and Mr. Hessler,

















Could you please let us know the status of this property? When will
it be either fixed or demolished? Thanks, Mary Pat (In Councilman Young’s
district.)

















 




































From: oldhousehistory at aol.com
[mailto:oldhousehistory at aol.com]




Sent: Saturday, September 27, 2008 12:48 PM



To: Clarke, Mary Pat; ugagrad93 at yahoo.com



Subject: 300 E. Lorraine Street






















 

















Mary Pat!







I've been reportin
g and following the case of 300 E. Lorraine Ave, a house that
is abandoned and sits right behinds ours.  It is still listed and taxed as
being owner occupied, despite its roof now having caved in, with all the roof
water headed to the basement.  It has slowly gone through the legal
process and was supposed to be fixed up or torn down by December 2007!







Alas, its still extant, and emails to the legal department go unanswered. 
It now if full of mold due to the water infiltration, and the rear walls20are
collapsing.  Can something be done about this property?







Paul Williams



2629 Guilford Ave   



























0A

















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