Bronx- In a letter to NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Assistant Commissioner Mario Merlino, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx) called on the Health Department’s Bureau of Veterinary & Pest Control Services to inspect the vacant property located at 620 West 238th Street that has become a rodent infested dumping ground. The letter was written in response to numerous complaints received from constituents who live near the property, many of whom have seen an increase in rodents, particularly rats and raccoons, inhabiting the neighborhood. The property also has cracked sidewalks that are dangerous for pedestrians, and is surrounded by a decrepit wooden fence that has become a canvas for graffiti vandals. Overgrown brush and weeds has also made walking near the property unpleasant, as has the increase in errant garbage that has accumulated over time as people use it for a garbage dump.

The owner of the property obtained a demolition permit for the site, which expired in 2010. A 311 complaint placed in May of this year found the property had numerous violations, requiring the DOHMH to engage in a follow-up inspection. It has now been several weeks since the initial complaint was filed, in which time no follow-up inspection has taken place.

“This once beautiful house has now deteriorated to the point where it is affecting the entire street,” Dinowitz wrote in the letter. “What action is the DOHMH going to take to remedy the situation at 620 West 238th Street? The city needs to hold the property owner accountable.”