No, I don't think we need Kurt unless there were any questions about the current condition
or any of the construction considerations
that the board wanted to know about.
Thank you.
Questions from the board?
Okay, I think Ms. Gamble might want to speak.
And anyone else who wishes to testify,
please raise your hand at this time.
I'm not sure if they're for this case
case, or if they were for the continuances.
Is there anyone who wishes to speak on this case, 1836, Wilder Street?
If so, please raise your hand.
Albert Littlepage, you're going to unmute yourself.
Can you hear me?
Yes, Mr. Littlepage, please spell your name for the record and give us a call.
your address. Mr. Chairman and Board, my name is Albert Littlepage, A-L-B-E-R-T, L-I-T-T-L-E-P-A-G-E.
My address is 1801 South 17th Street. I am the president of the Point Breeze Community
Development Coalition. We are the coordinating RCO for this particular project.
We're going to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
I do so. Help me, God.
Thank you. Please proceed.
I have been listening. We had a community meeting and there are residents that are currently
listening who have been on my phone waiting for this hearing. I visited with the neighbors after
this particular hearing. And as Rachel knows, we actually spoke about having a continuance
during our meeting. And when we left that meeting, we thought we were under agreement that we would
continue this um and also councilman johnson's uh aide uh france pierre was also also privy to that
call and we had him dispatch elena to this property because of the damage that was done to
the joining neighbor's property now when they talk about this has to be done we asked the requested
that an engineer be uh present and we asked this last week it's interesting that she mentions that
the engineers automatically, magically getting ready to appear. The reality is we asked for this
information last week. And also when you talk about the downspot, that was also one of our
concerns. And because the property had been sitting for so long and is damaged, we didn't
know how safe it was to proceed. But what we did ask to try to compromise with the developer was
that they would remove the setback because that's what the refusal was for. So we told them that we
would approve it if they removed the setback so that then they can get the
engineer and everyone in to look at the safety and the structure of the building.
They refused to do that. So we tried to compromise based on the things and the
benefits that the community would like. And the reason why we didn't even take a
vote on this project is because they agreed that they would continue this
project. There are neighbors listening now that are indicating that they do not
want this to proceed. We are in agreement that we had a setback removed and then
we want to get an engineer to go and there's a woman who when the first person put in he actually
the beams are in her kitchen wall from that house they stuck old and seen the house up it was i
went there to look at it the next day it is outrageous uh and it is dangerous and i agree
that it needs to be something needs to be done about it but it has to be a process it can't just
be well we're going to do what you say we're going to do and then we have to trust in that
because if i had to trust in that i wouldn't trust in the fact that rachel came in here and actually
presented something totally different than what she just presented to us and i'm outraged about
that but i think can i address that um let me finish rachel hold on hold on everyone hold on
please just just a minute i finished mr little page and then rachel you you can respond and i i
have some questions of my own that i'm going to need some uh expertise uh from sharon and and
with Tanya. Okay, Mr. Littlepage, you can unmute yourself. Again, I unmuted you.
Okay, Mr. Littlepage, you can unmute yourself. Again, I unmuted you.
Okay, I won't prolong it. I think the most important thing is that we had a very, it was a heated meeting. I think I respected the developer and his lawyers. And we worked and we really worked to try to get to an agreement.
we didn't know about the downspout it's you know all the other things that are being stated are
speculative based on what will be done once these things or these variances are approved
the refusal we would like to address the refusal we asked them to remove this setback if they
remove the setback then we can revisit this project after the engineers there thank you
i'm going to get to that that's one of my questions uh but rachel and then so at the
end of the meeting um and i talked to franz from the the councilman's office um as well i had
actually said can we put it to a vote because i had i had gauged from the tone of the meeting that
we weren't going to come to a compromise which was okay we want you to do the engineer's report
and we want you to set it back but we had said to them we we can't just go and set it back we have
to work through the process there was no appreciation for any of the procedural considerations
I was trying to explain we were it was not a friendly toned meeting and Albert was kind
and considerate but there were some other folks who were not willing to listen to actually how
this works from a procedural standpoint so then I said go take a vote because I figure we weren't
getting anywhere and having another continuance for everyone to say the same thing was going to
leave this property sitting in the condition that is which is making nothing better on either side
of this, right? Then Albert said, well, we want to actually have a continuance because I don't feel
like we're getting, we can get to a place where we can find a compromise. So they asked for a
continuance. I did not say anything in writing about I'm going to continue it. I explicitly
remember saying I don't want to continue this and I wanted to vote because we wanted to move this
forward. So I apologize if there was a mischaracterization or a misunderstanding from
where my perspective was but i don't know in in my six years of doing this i would have never
in the situation where you're dealing with ellen i and dangerous violations on a property would
have wanted to continue something for another couple months with no resolve because even if
we got an engineer's report and sent it to the community group there would be there's no
assurance that they would agree i think and there's no assurance that we could still do anything
because ellen i wouldn't let us do anything understood understood i think the one thing
everybody could agree on it's a deplorable unsafe situation and nobody wants to be here
the sidewalk has been inaccessible for almost a year maybe even longer longer the communion said
longer um may i ask a question um i'm sorry i had a question it sounds to me it sounds to me i could
be wrong if going forward if this board approves this variance could we have some provisions in
there that talk about the adjustment to the third floor that it would have to have the
three foot or whatever the setback is required no because that was that was the only ground for
the refusal when you're going to require the setback then you're essentially you're denying
the variance and they can get a buy right permit they don't have to speak with the community at
all for that is that correct rachel correct the only reason you're here is because it was already
built out of character and didn't have a setback and it's already been built and it's already been
sitting um and the demolition without getting approval to see what's going on there first
we don't want to just agree to demo something that may cause more issues this has been sitting
for two years so that that's really the concern counselor yes sir i believe you can get a make
safe permit by engineer and then set it back eight feet but our yeah which would be essentially
having us start over that's not a story no but it's just getting where you are now
right but the our and i understand that our thought was if it's already been built out
it's wired up there's plump there's you know plumbing and let's say from the engineer and
set it back yeah and and and i don't know i don't have any i haven't seen this you have them fine
you can show them any interior yeah we have interior i'm just like that that drain spell
that must be coming from the interior of the building i i don't get where that came from
can we bring kurt on the on as well um tanya because he's he's way more advanced on the
construction side of this and has been involved way longer than I have. I want to get to a place
and I don't know if somebody can help me get to a place that says you guys can go out and do all
your structural engineering inspections and whatever but I want to get to a place
but I want to get to a place that that third floor has to be set back.
that that third floor has to be set back and you can
And you can say, well, that means we have to start over again.
Well, not entirely. It's just the third floor.
And if the structural engineer comes back and says,
this is hypothetical, that the third floor isn't structurally sound,
you're going to have to tear it down anyway.
Right. But going forward and assuming that off the bat is what I'm asking not
happen, that we at least be allowed to proceed.
I'm happy to even provide the structural report to Albert and to Petra the Nate
you know I don't think that my client has any issue with being transparent and
as far as the well you just got an engineer out you can't get an engineer
just because you want one we had to schedule with him and it just so
happened that it's tomorrow I was asking for them to have him today so that you
know so that he could already have been at the site you know we're in a situation
where a lot of people are moving forward with projects and professionals are not
as easy to come by at the current moment so um kurt i see that you're on the line if you could
speak to just the downspot in the interior um nature of this um and your thoughts sort of on
what the board has discussed that would be helpful as you'll be the one who would have to
undertake all of that understood can everybody hear please spell your name sir for the record
kirk schweidock s-c-h-w-i-e-d-o-p do you swear and affirm to tell the truth the whole truth and
nothing but the truth yes sir i do please proceed i'd like to uh say hello to ladies and gentlemen
here today and thank them for their time first and foremost i've been uh sitting by patiently
you know listening to everything and i would like to go through and answer any questions that you
have as best that i can i know one of the concerns was the downspout that's in the front that simply
goes through the parapet wall and goes to nowhere it's about a foot off the ground it will be
removed and that hole will be sealed up it's not connected to anything i believe rachel can show a
picture of that from the um from the roof deck adjacent to the pilot house
i don't know why it was put there there's no explanation for it in my 31 years of construction
and it goes nowhere it's literally i'm sorry excuse me if you interrupt i'm speaking to
the drain spout on the facade of the building between the second and third floor
can you bring that picture picture up rachel this one oh no it's the roof deck gives the
front view of the property
yep there it goes right above where the electric lines are you see that drain spout
it's about equal to the roof line of the property to the left
what purpose does that serve
none that I know of
I will tell you Frank
they proposed to set it back
and put a deck somewhat there
so they put the drain spout there
they never set it back
but they never set it back
is it where's the water from the roof going
is it going to the water from the roof it goes to the rear of the property so the roof deck is all
pinched towards the back okay this is the interior this is the third floor i believe yeah
so you can see sort of the what what had already been done
It's been framed, the electric's in, and the insulation is in.
From your experience, Kurt, is there a way to set it back,
even if it was more like a mansard roof or something like that,
to kind of meet in the middle?
to uh to set that back as a mastered roof we'd have to unframe everything and then start
rebuilding again uh i think the cost of doing that would be prohibitive based on the situation
that we find ourselves in but we don't know you may have to go back anyway right whoever built
this thing obviously just decided to do what he wanted to do without any regard for any of the
codes. Yes, Tom, I'm sorry. Tom, unmute yourself. Thank you, Frank. The cost would not be prohibited.
I don't get it. If you're going to require, look at this guy.
this is just the interior my question would be for somebody to say the cost isn't prohibitive
based on what i'm basing it on where we stand with our budget so
based on what i'm basing it on where we stand with our budget so i'm not trying to insult anyone i'm
just speaking from a business standpoint but if an engineer comes along sir and tells you it is
structurally unsound you're gonna have to demolish it just so you know structurally only structurally
unsound was uh only brought up in the last meeting there was there was no mention of that in the
first meeting whatsoever. It doesn't matter what the meeting, it doesn't really matter what took
place at the meetings, what Elle and I will say. Would it make sense for us to put this on hold
for two weeks, to get the engineer out there, to get a report on the structural integrity, and then
circle back with the board? I think that we're kind of just, I completely understand the board's
concerns. I also completely understand, you know, the position of the clients in trying to remedy
this so maybe we actually need to get the structural engineer and get that information
so that we can make a better decision than sort of just guessing on how to do this would that be okay
and then that way we can provide that also to the community group so they feel
so they're in the loop with that as well yeah i mean the case will stay open obviously we can't
we're not going to close you have to go out and get a structural engineer i understand that i'm
just saying if we could at least spend the next two weeks getting that information that we could
provide to the community that way at least we can say hey listen we we need to demo this anyways
so let's just withdraw or actually it's in good shape you know here's here's the path least
resistance on this end it's just i'm trying to give us bet more answers than what we have now
that's kind of where i was going yeah yeah i i have rachel i'm sorry question i had rachel was
did L&I ever require us to get a structural engineer or was that brought on by the community
group? So what I was saying to them was I haven't been in touch with L&I besides knowing that we
can't pull any permits. We don't have a we have a stop work order. We don't have a make safe
violation. If we had a make safe violation to Chairman Holloman or Member Holloman's comments,
we would need to get plans and everything. I do believe we should get a structural engineer
either way ellen i most likely will request that um so i don't i don't i think that it's
something we'd have to do anyways what i'm suggesting is that we uh we do that it'll help
appease the um the community's concerns and also will give us better direction and the board better
direction um with this case going forward because the prior the prior owner went ahead and built
something apparently that wasn't even part of the the permitting process they gave him the
to go ahead in the first place so if you see here they went beyond the scope of the permit
days it says here permit work not same as permits so whatever they had submitted um you know to to
lni was not uh what was approved i'm in agreement with that and my point of bringing it up was the
fact that uh when i discussed the structural engineer we're we were never ordered by lni to
get a structural engineer not that i'm not in agreement that we need it but we're being preemptive
the community brought it up we agreed to it we tried to act on that as fast as possible and um