Partially boarded-up house draws concern

A boarded-up, derelict house at 84-38 Charlecote Ridge in Jamaica Estates is concerning some in the neighborhood.

“I am so furious about this whole thing,” Community Board 8 Chairwoman Martha Taylor told the Chronicle. “It’s just crazy.”

Windows at the house are fragmented and trash can be found on the ground surrounding it. A vacate order was issued at the site earlier this year due to a lack of hot water, water supply and heat, missing windows and the building being in total disrepair, CB 8 said.

According to Taylor, the vacate order has likely been lifted — a hypothesis drawn from a Dec. 14 email sent from HPD to the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs, and then to CB 8 — although it should not have been.

The email, which was provided to the Chronicle, says, “HPD was able to gain access to the above referenced property today. The building has essential services. For this reason we will not be vacating the building.”

Taylor is doubtful.

“The violations can’t be cured without them going to Buildings, getting a permit and then having master plumbers certify that they’re fixed,” she said. “As far as I know, all they have is electricity ... . They cannot cure those violations without a master plumber.”

Along with the Department of Buildings, the office of Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) has received complaints about the site.

“This property isn’t just an eyesore: It is completely uninhabitable,” Lancman said in a prepared statement.

According to city records, the house is owned by Dr. Kavitha Polkampally, who could not be reached for comment.

“Our Emergency Repair Team will perform a full scope of work needed within a week’s time,” HPD spokeswoman Juliet Pierre-Antoine said in an emailed statement last Friday. “After which, HPD will fund additional repairs. Essential services, meaning hot water, heat, etc. have already been restored by the owner. Again, HPD will continue to monitor the situation.”

HPD did not immediately return repeated follow-up requests for comment, although the door on the house was still boarded up when the Chronicle saw it on Wednesday.

Department of Buildings spokesman Andrew Rudansky could not verify that the vacate order, which was issued by HPD, was lifted.

Taylor said that the house was rented to St. John’s University students years ago.

The Community Board 8 chief has also seen lights on at the property at night.

In 2009, a party was held by St. John’s students illegally living at the house, according to the Queens Gazette. Up to 100 people reportedly attended it.

In the past, Taylor said she saw drug addicts at the property.

“I don’t think they’re there now,” she said. “I don’t think they’ve been there for a while.”

According to the chairwoman, a man named Mircea Fersedy has been living at the house. She says that the lights are on at the home every night.

He could not be reached for comment.

A man by that name is a Romanian immigrant who lived in Astoria until his house was declared unsafe. According to a New York Post story from 2009, he lived in a cluttered tent at the time.

When Taylor first met him, he had an explanation for why he was there.

“I stopped to talk to him and I said, ‘Is this your house?’ and he said, ‘No, I’m taking care of it for the owner’,” she said.