PUBLISHED BY MOSHOLU PRESERVATION CORPORATION

Judge Halts Work on DeKalb Ave. Building

By JORDAN MOSS 

Rehab work at 3569 DeKalb Ave. in Norwood has come to a halt. The landlord, who was removed from day-to-day control of the building by a Housing Court judge following a fire that killed a boy in August 2002, is suing the city and the property's non-profit administrator.

Since the appointment of John Reilly of Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation (FBHC) as the building's 7A administrator by the city, "the work is approximately 25 percent done," according to Carol Abrams, a spokeswoman for the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The city agency also named in the suit brought by John Cirillo and Michael Toikach. 

"We'd like to do the remaining 75 percent of the work," Abrams said. 

Reilly, the executive director of FBHC, which is overseeing the renovations, said work on 10 bathrooms and the plumbing in those apartments had been completed. A judge stopped work at the site by issuing a temporary restraining order on Oct. 15, Reilly said, and will not continue until at least the next court date on Oct. 24. Reilly is also precluded from paying the contractor for the work already completed until the matter is resolved. 

In court papers, the landlords take issue with the way the contracts on the rehab work were put out to bid. Abrams said the suit was brought because "the owner wants the building back." 

Though his name does not appear on the suit, Frank Palazzolo is widely considered to be the owner of 3569 DeKalb Ave., which had hundreds of housing code violations before the fire. Palazzolo also owns dozens of other neglected Bronx buildings. Washington Mutual, the bank that holds the mortgage on most of the properties, has acknowledged that they are working with Palazzolo to rectify the situation. Tenant groups are pressuring bank officials to foreclose on Palazzolo, or at least force him to bring the buildings back up to code. Washington Mutual vice president Donna Wilson has agreed to meet with local tenant leaders in November, according to an organizer with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition.

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