By Lauren Otis, Staff Writer
A Princeton Borough councilman has joined residents of 205 Nassau St. in expressing frustration at the lack of progress in addressing a bedbug infestation at the rental property in downtown Princeton owned by Sanford “Sandy” Zeitler.
”It’s time we focused more resources on the problem,” said Borough Councilman Roger Martindell on Wednesday afternoon, as he and a reporter were given a tour of the squalid conditions at 205 Nassau St. by resident Bob Carlson.
”I’ve been living out of bags, I’ve lost all my furniture, and they’re telling me I may lose my computer,” Mr. Carlson said. He showed the single room he lives in (all five apartments in the building share one bathroom), and for which he said he pays $950 a month in rent through welfare payments.
Stepping over a deflated air mattress and plastic bags full of clothing on the bare wood floor, both of which he says continue to be infested, Mr. Carlson pointed out dark spots covering his room’s walls, saying they were the dried blood marks left from bedbugs he had killed.
”At one point there was hundreds,” he said.
He said he kept his laptop in a small refrigerator in the hopes this would prevent it too from becoming infested.
Rolling up his pants leg, Mr. Carlson showed off what he said were red bedbug bites covering his leg. He has said he has been plagued by bedbugs at 205 Nassau St. since last summer.
At the beginning of April Mr. Zeitler received a “Final Notice of Violation,” signed by Princeton Health Department Senior Environmental Health Specialist Randy Carter, giving him 30 days to clear up the bedbug infestation. Mr. Zeitler has a scheduled May 3 appearance before Princeton Municipal Court Judge Bonnie Goldman regarding the violation.
”We’ve had two sprays and it was by some guy without a name on his shirt and without a name on his truck,” said Mr. Carlson. “The guy would spray a little in the corner,” he said.
Mr. Carlson said he had seen approximately five different exterminators inspect the premises, apparently prior to giving an estimate for eradicating the bedbugs, but no actual extermination work has yet been done. He questioned how the bedbugs could be eradicated while he and other residents continued to live in their rooms, with infested bags of clothing and other possessions.
”Sandy’s trying to skirt around doing it the right way,” he said.
Reached by phone, Mr. Zeitler confirmed that exterminators had visited the premises of 205 Nassau St. Asked what progress was being made in eradicating the bedbug infestation, Mr. Zeitler responded, “I’m sorry, I don’t have any comment for you.”
Mr. Martindell said the borough should devote more resources to the problem beyond letting it work its way through the courts.
”Meanwhile these people are losing thousands of dollars in property, they can’t sleep at night, and they are living with a bedbug infestation,” he said of tenants at 205 Nassau St.
Mr. Martindell said the matter also posed a public safety issue because the bedbug-infested furniture residents of the building placed on the curb might be picked up by unsuspecting passersby. Pointing to several prominent “For Rent” signs posted in front of 205 Nassau St. Mr. Martindell also questioned whether Mr. Zeitler was notifying prospective tenants of the bedbug problem.
”What has to be done is we’ve got to post the building so people don’t come in and rent apartments,” he said. “Doing this piecemeal is just delaying the process forever.”
”Where we are now, it is fully in the hands of the court,” said Princeton Health Officer David Henry. “We have done basically everything that we could do in our various jurisdictions to resolve the issue,” Mr. Henry said.
Mr. Henry said it was up to the landlord to hire an exterminator and rectify the problem to the judge’s satisfaction by May 3. If the exterminator concluded residents and their possessions could not remain on the premises in order to fully deal with the bedbug problem, the landlord was responsible for moving the tenants and putting them up until they could return, he said.
”It is the landlord’s responsibility to work out all these details. We are concerned with the tenants as well, but the landlord has to take the appropriate steps,” Mr. Henry said.
He said the Health Department had posted information about bedbugs on its website.
”Our main goal from the beginning was to get this resolved and to get it resolved primarily by getting an exterminator to handle the situation,” Mr. Henry said. “We are waiting to find out what progress has occurred and will occur before May 3.”
Princeton Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi said the municipality could not post signs announcing the infestation at the premises because it was private property and they had no authority to do so. This would not be the case if there was a disease present, requiring quarantine, he said, “but bedbugs are considered just a nuisance, it is considered no different than having long grass, and mice running around in your yard, you get a violation.”
Mr. Bruschi said for certain residents of 205 Nassau St. who were on public assistance, that Cynthia Mendez, the welfare officer for Princeton Borough and Township, was temporarily putting rental payments to Mr. Zeitler in an escrow fund until the matter was resolved.
”I know it’s frustrating for some of them but we just don’t have any jurisdiction there,” Mr. Bruschi said.
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