Senator Avella and Public Administrator Announce Significant Progress At Abandoned House

October 14, 2016

Senator Avella stands at site of abandoned house. Prior to today, derelict cars filled this driveway.

Queens, NY – Today, Senator Tony Avella and Gerard Sweeney, Counsel to the Public Administrator, announced that the Queens County Public Administrator has been appointed as administrator of an abandoned property that has been an eyesore and a hazard to neighbors for the past decade. The property, located at 50-19 175^th Place, will be put up for auction on December 7^th.

Senator Avella first became aware of this property in the summer of 2015 when a neighbor requested his assistance. When the home’s owner, Stella Beckman, passed away, the house quickly fell into disrepair. Her son Franklin was named the administrator of the property but, with his whereabouts unknown, the property continued to decline. The abandoned house had a caved in roof, overgrown vegetation, a raccoon infestation, and had derelict cars in the driveway filled with debris. The neighborhood had become increasingly alarmed that the property was becoming a haven for drug use and drug trafficking.

After months of circuitous conversations with various City agencies to try and get the property cleaned or repaired, and over 100 hours of work put in by Senator Avella’s staff, there was finally good news to be had. “I am extremely happy to be able to tell the community today that as a result of the relentless efforts of my office and the incredible help of the public administrator this property is no longer going to haunt the community” said Senator Avella.

The property at 50-19 175^th Place will be auctioned by the Public Administrator on Wednesday, December 7, at 11:00 AM. The location of the sale is the Surrogates Court at 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY, Courtroom 62.

If anyone is interested in purchasing the property, please check the Public Administrator’s website (www.queenscountypa.com) for more details.

Furthermore, if anyone has any information as to the whereabouts of Franklin Beckman, please notify the Public Administrator immediately at 718-526-5037.

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