Oakland blitz hits the street

Andrew Vidokle pointed out the railing next to the stairs of his front porch.

“We’ve… Andrew Vidokle pointed out the railing next to the stairs of his front porch.

“We’ve broken that railing so many times,” Vidokle, a Pitt bioengineering student and Oakland tenant, said. “Whenever it happens, we just pick it up, and it sits on the side of the porch until it gets replaced.”

Vidokle said he and his roommates on Semple Street were largely responsible for Semple Fest, a block party hosted by a section of the street’s student tenants that, to Vidokle’s estimation, involved about 2,000 party goers.

It’s nights like these that often end with destroyed property.

According to Vidokle, people were breaking bottles on the sidewalks and buildings and throwing trash into the street like it was a garbage can.

Police drove down the street a few times but did not stop to break up the party.

The day after Semple Fest, Patrick M. Altdorfer, owner of Oakland’s JPA Properties, said he spent two and a half hours cleaning broken glass in his parking lot so he wouldn’t receive a citation from the city.

Altdorfer’s concerns stem from a city- and University-organized Oakland clean-up initiative that began in May. Officials from the city and Pitt are working together to stabilize decaying Oakland properties by issuing citations to neighborhood landlords for failing to meet exterior and interior building inspection codes.

The main ideas of the so-called Oakland blitz are to make the neighborhood a safer place for its student population and to educate students about the perils of renting from negligent landlords.

Phase one of the blitz – exterior inspections – began May 9 with an Oakland walk-through by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg and five city housing inspectors.

The inspectors issued 112 citations for exterior building code violations, such as broken sidewalks, buildings with graffiti, overgrown weeds and grass and unsightly stacked debris.

Phase two of the blitz will focus on interior code violations and is scheduled for late August to coincide with Pitt’s Arrival Survival, when many students move into off-campus housing.

Vidokle said he realizes that students themselves are responsible for a lot of property destruction in Oakland.

“We have parties, and it gets rowdy, and people punch holes in the walls,” he said.

But Altdorfer believes there are respectful students who deserve to be treated fairly.

“I do try and take care of my places,” he said. “I don’t think owning and managing property is milking it for everything you can get. I think you have to give a little back.”

Angela Donovan, who lives in a JPA property on Meyran Avenue, said she has never had a problem with Altdorfer. “We call him if we need something or something’s broken, and he comes the next day. He’s been good to us.”

Students who do not feel like they’ve been treated fairly or feel their building is not up to code can open their doors to inspectors in August during phase two of the blitz, said John Wilds, Pitt’s assistant vice chancellor for community and governmental relations.

Wilds said Pitt is working closely with the Student Government Board to set up the off-campus living center to educate students about landlords and off-campus housing.

“What we’re trying to do is put a primary emphasis on safety for students because of the two fires we had last year,” Wilds said. “I think it sent a strong message that we need to do more for students who are living off campus.”

The fires to which Wilds refered killed two people last July and November; one was 20-year-old Pitt student Rich Noble, a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. Both fires occurred in Central Oakland buildings.

Wilds also said the city is working on new legislation that would force landlords to ensure student safety.

“The mayor is looking at this as a city-wide program,” Wilds said. “The primary focus right now is Oakland.”

The city’s goals align closely with Pitt’s desire to improve the safety and welfare of its off-campus students, according to G. Reynolds Clark, Pitt’s vice chancellor for community and governmental relations.

“The intention is not to pick on landlords,” Clark said. “The intention is to have quality off-campus living for students who make the choice to live off campus.”