By PAUL KIRBY
Freeman staff

KINGSTON — A campaign to saturate individual city blocks with police, building inspectors and other officials is expected to start this month on Elmendorf Street.

City officials announced this week that a program called “Block by Block” will kick off March 22 on a section of Elmendorf Street between Broadway and Tremper Avenue.

City Mayor James Sottile, who pitched the initiative last month during his annual Mayor’s Message, said it’s designed to reshape city neighborhoods in a concentrated way.

Sottile said he got the idea from Albany, where the program has seen results.

“We don’t want to be heavy-handed, but we are going to take a proactive approach,” Sottile said. “We are gong to go block by block. We have put the wheels in motion.”

Sottile said the Elmendorf Street location was chosen after he received a request from Alderman Thomas Hoffay, D-Ward 2, to start there. The mayor said he sent an e-mail request to all city lawmakers and Hoffay responded with a specific suggestion.

“It is a very important tool and it is a very important initiative in on the part of the city.” Hoffay said.

The alderman said he focused on Elmendorf Street because he believes it has the most code violations in his ward.

“It is in need of a concerted effort,” Hoffay said. Continued...

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Fire Chief Richard Salzmann, who heads the city’s Building Safety Division, said inspectors will visit the block during the day March 22. He said that they will be checking for building code violations and other safety issues at properties along both sides of the street.

“The goal is to improve neighborhoods,” Salzmann said.

If violations are found, building owners will be given notice. If the violations are not corrected in a period of time, owners will be issued appearance tickets to City Court, he said.

Salzmann said that out of 25 properties on that section of Elmendorf Street, 20 are rental housing. For the most part, the rental units are owned by landlords who live outside of Kingston, including Newburgh, Catskill, Saugerties and New York City.

Officials are hoping the program sends a message to owners of substandard properties.

“Hopefully, this will encourage people to bring buildings up to code before we get there,” Salzmann said. “We will aggressively pursue code violations.”

Salzmann said inspectors will be looking for violations of the city’s trash ordinance as well.

The fire chief said the properties will also be checked against the city’s landlord registration program to make sure owners have complied with the law.

Police Chief Gerald Keller said an officer will accompany building inspectors during the sweeps, looking for information about drug dealing or other criminal activity.

“As they go around, we will see if we can (garner) some concerns or anything that the police can handle,” Keller said. Continued...

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Any information officers gather will be turned over to the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team (URGENT), Keller said.

Keller said that while the Elmendorf Street crackdown is scheduled for one day, the effort will not end there.

“It is a concentrated effort but it will be a continuing one,” Keller said.

Alderman Charles Landi, D-Ward 3, said while he supports the Block By Block program, he normally takes care of problems when they are reported to him.

“If I get a call, I work on it,” Landi said. “I give the mayor credit for helping us.”

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