CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — When Jean Hoagland moved into the Crescent Court neighborhood, the last thing she expected was for the abandoned home nearby to still be there more than five years later.
"It's very frustrating," she said. "We as taxpayers are taking care of our property, we're trying to take care of our neighborhood, keep it safe and we have to look at this and it's disgusting."
The home on 119 Crescent Court continues to fall apart and is becoming a home for wildlife including invasive birds, squirrels, and even rats, some of which have migrated over to Hoagland's yard at times.
"I've called (the town) many times. Everybody in the neighborhood walks past this house. So many people have called, weekly, or monthly, it's been going on for years. The paperwork has to be huge with them but nothing is being done," Hoagland said.
Just as Hoagland and her neighbors, 2 On Your Side also did not receive a response from the town when we reached out to Cheektowaga Town Supervisor Diane Benczkowski about this.
To get more information, 2 On Your Side's Danielle Church has filed Freedom of Information Law requests to find out how many complaints have been made about 119 Crescent Court and all of the code violations there.
In the meantime, Hoagland says the house will remain a safety hazard and an eyesore.
"The Town of Cheektowaga needs to do better by us and not forget about us. We're doing our part. When are they going to step up and do theirs," Hoagland said.