Mobile boiler leaves Pelham Gardens residents fuming
The mobile boiler outside of 2225 Lodovick Avenue on Tuesday, September 24. Schneps Media/ Alex Mitchell
BY ALEX MITCHELL
A temporary mobile boiler
parked curbside in front of a
group home on 2225 Lodovick
Avenue has become an eyesore
on a Pelham Gardens residential
street for some years
now, neighbors say.
The ‘boiler on wheels’,
which rivals the size of a
pickup truck, runs an overhead
hot water line from the
street into the group home.
The boiler’s outward appearance
is in a deteriorating
condition and is a ‘monstrosity’
to the block, according to
neighbor Mary Colby.
“The insulation around the
boiler’s water line has been
chipping away for some time,”
she said.
Neighbors of the group
home are equally annoyed
that the mechanical eyesore
has been hogging a valuable
parking space in the tree-lined
neighborhood not far from Pelham
Parkway, Colby added.
The group home houses
several developmentally disabled
adults. The home’s only
access to heat and hot water
is currently provided via the
portable furnace.
“We love having this home
on the block,” Colby said.
“It’s a huge eyesore on our
street that could end up becoming
a hazard - that’s our issue
with it,”, adding that those
living in the home deserve
more reliable utilities.
The mobile boiler was
found to be in violation of the
law by the NYC Department of
Buildings in July, according
to Councilman Mark Gjonaj’s
offi ce, which has been working
to resolve the longstanding
issue.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, SEPTEMBER 2 26 7-OCTOBER 3, 2019 BTR
Since that time, the group
home which is run by Community
Action for Human
Services has obtained temporary
permits for the mobile
boiler and is awaiting further
inspections, according
to Community Board 11’s records.
According to sources, the
2-story brick colonial located
between Astor and Stillwell
avenues, has been waiting for
a licensed plumber to secure
the necessary permits to install
a replacement boiler in
the home since the fi rst week
of September.
After that, another round
of inspections by multiple city
agencies need to be conducted,
before the installation of the
new boiler can even begin.
There have not been many
updates as to the status of the
project since then, Gjonaj’s offi
ce indicated.
His offi ce along with CB11
have been in contact with the
group home’s sponsor, which
expressed agreement with the
neighbors in wanting the eyesore
removed as quickly as
possible, according to CB 11
records.
“It has been taking literally
years and nothing has
changed,” Colby said in frustration.
Besides the unsightly
boiler, Lodovick Avenue is
also experiencing an uptick
in traffi c since the construction
of the northside of Pelham
Parkway began, with residents
saying that the boiler is
exasperating the situaution.
“We’ve gotten calls from
people on City Island that
drove by saying how inconvenient
it is to drive through
this street,” Colby said.
“I don’t see how it’s possible
to have a ‘temporary’ mobile
boiler for literally years,”
she added.
Gjonaj’s offi ce is awaiting
some good news from the
group home on what he hopes
will be the fi nal round of inspections
and permits.
Calls from the Bronx Times
Reporter to Community Action
for Human Services were
not returned by press time.