Tenants lose home of their own
Sewage, structural problems force Troy to close Cook Arms house, which houses 24 low-income residents
Written by Kenneth C. Crowe II
Published in the Times Union
Saturday, April 12, 2008
TROY -- Paul Caminiti sat in his wheelchair in a cold, light rain Friday afternoon as his belongings and those of 23 other men were packed up and removed from the Cook Arms apartments at 68 Brunswick Road.
"Luckily, there's a good shelter for us to go to," said Caminiti, 61, who has heart and kidney problems, and needs a hip replacement.
The city condemned the Cook Arms on Friday after finding structural problems and one foot of raw sewage in the basement during an inspection Monday.
The move forced the closing of Rensselaer County's largest single-residence occupancy facility.
"It's certainly a difficult situation. I don't think anyone living in the building should be living in those types of conditions," said Jeff Buell, a city spokesman.
Caminiti had lived at Cook Arms since October 2007, paying $320 a month in rent.
The long, two-story white building was one of the few places in the county that accepted public assistance payments for rent.
"It drew single adults who were poor. A lot of these guys have been living there for years," said Kevin O'Connor, associate executive director of Joseph's House and Shelter.
O'Connor and his staff made room at Joseph's House and Shelter at 74 Ferry St. to provide shelter for the men who have lost their rooms at the Cook Arms. They expect to temporarily house about 18 of the men.
Gene Cook, who owns the property, said he believes he can make the repairs to the building and reopen in about two weeks. Cook is the former Stillwater town Democratic chairman.
"It's only temporary. It's a foundation building. A portion of the building was built on fill. We've hired a contractor to go in," Cook said.
Cook said the sewage problem was due to grease clogs and was remedied. He said he knew he was about the only person willing to accept social services' rent payments for his tenants.
"My major concern is that so many people won't take my people. They've fallen between the cracks," Cook said.
County Social Services Commissioner John Beaudoin said the closing of the Cook Arms will have an impact.
"It is one of the challenges for the department and the community to find affordable housing," Beaudoin said.
The joint effort by Joseph's House, St. Paul's Center and county Social Services made it possible to quickly move the men into other locations, Beaudoin said.
O'Connor said the city needs to work on developing more affordable housing to assist those with minimal incomes.
Caminiti, meanwhile, looks forward to Cook completing the repairs. He said, "I'm hopeful we will get back in."
Reprinted with permission from the Times Union.