Hoarder house debris continues to annoy neighbors
BY KYLE VUILLE
The battle between the
NYC Buildings Department,
the NYC Health Department
and neighbors of a senior citizen
described as a ‘hoarder’ in
Throggs Neck is still ongoing,
with no real solution in sight.
The row house at 274 Balcom
Avenue, between Harding
and Lawton avenues sticks out
like a sore thumb.
The poorly maintained
property with its debris cluttered
driveway stands out in
stark contrast to the neighboring
neatly kept attached
one-family brick homes.
All the other driveways
and patios are relatively clean
and manicured.
Anyone walking past 274
Balcom Avenue is immediately
met with the stench of human
urine, feces and piles of junk,
buckets of rotting organic matter
and overgrown weeds.
After months of complaints
and inspections of the property
by city agencies, an end to
the dilemma appeared close.
A November 17 hearing to
clean up of the property has
failed to resolve the issue.
According to a Buildings
Department spokesperson,
the property’s owner, Richard
Kehrle, did not show up for the
hearing.
Kehrle, who inherited the
home from his parents, has
lived in the 3-story brick home
for over 50 years, but neighbors
like Lauren Torres, who
lives in an identical home,
wants him to clean up his act
or get out.
Welcoming the
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,26 JANUARY 10-16, 2020 BTR
Torres is grateful that the
colder weather has given her
family a reprieve from the horrid
stenches that loom from
Kehrle’s property.
“During the winter we get
to catch a break because the
fl ies are gone and the smells
kind of freeze over,” Torres
said. “He’s still bringing out
buckets of urine and poop
though.”
Torres said Kehrle is also
a garbage hoarder, venturing
out as early as 8 a.m. to sort
through the neighborhood
trash for ‘prizes’.
According to the DOH
press offi ce, the agency issued
a violation for harborage
conditions (conducive to rats)
back in May 2019.
After two separate failed
attempts to gain access to the
property to clean it, the DOH
issued a COA (Commissioner’s
Order to Abate) on September
23, mandating the owner to
clean up the property or additional
escalating fi nes would
be issued.
There have been two more
attempts, one in October and
another in December, to help
Kehrle clean up his property
since the COA was issued, but
it was denied access by the
home owner.
The Bronx Times Reporter
tried to reach Kehrle for a comment,
but he has locked his
fence to prevent anyone from
stepping foot on his property.
Kehrle’s obsession with collecting
waste and trash have
his neighbors questioning his
mental state.
According to the Anxiety
and Depression Association
of America, “hoarding can
be related to compulsive buying
(such as never passing up
a bargain), the compulsive acquisition
of free items (such as
collecting fl yers), or the compulsive
search for perfect or
unique items (which may not
appear to others as unique,
such as an old container).”
View of 274 Balcom Ave. The Health Department and the Building Department has visited the residence several
times in the past months to attempt to help clean the property, but with no avail.
Photo by Kyle Vuille/Schneps Media
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