Friday, December 2, 2005

* Broken Elevator on Pratt

When Pam Zekman interviews someone, there's a serious problem. It's gotta be real bad if Pam is on the story. This problem and this story is a broken elevator in Rogers Park. Here is what Pam was able to conclude from her interview. "I just started hitting the alarm button and yelling 'HELP, get me out of here.... HELP," Karen Franco yelled help to CBS 2 ace investigator Pam Zekman.

Sharp shooter Pam took aim but didn't tell us exactly where the building was in Rogers Park. So I did some major snooping to get "just the facts".

I had to find out what building was being neglected by it's owner.


When I found the building, I visited the seven-story Rogers Park building yesterday at 1137 West Pratt Avenue. I took a photo of the building. I found tenants telling me the same thing cry-baby Karen told Pam. But I found out alot more. Alot. The "gosh darn freight elevator was broken" when Millie moved in. "The only passenger elevator wasn’t working either", said Millie, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to the media. Millie was afraid of being "kicked out" for speaking her mind.

Back to our whisleblower Karen Franco who was interviewed by Channel 2 and Miss nosy-body Pam Zekman, “I've been here 4 1/2 years, and every couple of days it (the elevator) breaks down,” Franco said to Zekman, forcing tenants to climb the seven flights of stairs. That's alot of flights of stairs if you want to put up a Christmas Tree.

9 comments:

Jocelyn said...

They must have spent their entire budget on the fasade repairs they did, which were very well done but I'm sure terribly expensive. They had pieces of the facade falling off the building a few years ago. As you can imagine, with a building that tall, that would be pretty dangerous!

good story-

Hugh said...

The owners of the building, 1137 Pratt Plaza, LLC, are not in good standing.

Illinois Secretary of State Corporate/LLC Search

Hugh said...

Not only are they lax with their elevator maintenance and with the Illinois Secretary of State, but their property taxes are over a month past due to the tune of $28,578.16.

Property Index Number (PIN): 11-32-400-006-0000

Cook County Treasurer

Payment Status

Hugh said...

City Elevators May Be Risky Rides
Pam Zekman
Reporting
Dec 1, 2005

Hugh said...

When Zekman called, the owners had to send someone. They sent Relu Stan, seen fidgeting in Zekman's report above the ID "Relu Stan - Building Owner." Stan is familiar to homeowners in Rogers Park because in early 2003, in one of Alderman Moore's first acts of his current term, Moore granted a single-lot density increase for a Stan project in the 1900 block of W Estes, remarkable for being in the middle of an area previously downzoned by a neighborhood block club to help control development. Moore pushed through Stan's zoning change in 2 months, a personal best for legislative alacrity. For Moore information, see the article Ald. Moore reverses neighbors' down-zoning" on Forum49.

Stan is a regular Moore contributor.

Stan Enterprises Inc. to Citizens for Joe Moore

$275.00 on 2/26/2001
$250.00 on 1/23/2003
$1,000.00 on 8/19/2004

Illinois State Board of Elections Campaign Disclosure

Hugh said...

From the cbs2chicago report:

Records show City Hall has received more than 50 complaints about elevators in that building over the last 2 years, and past owners have been fined for violations.

After our inquiry, the city ordered the new owner to repair both elevators.

"We are going to start working on it as soon as possible," said building owner Stan Relu.

Craig Gernhardt said...

Sally questioned.....>'How can a landlord get away with treating their tenants this way"?

Hugh answered......>"Stan is a regular Moore contributor. Stan Enterprises Inc. to Citizens for Joe Moore"

$275.00 on 2/26/2001
$250.00 on 1/23/2003
$1,000.00 on 8/19/2004


Does anyone see a hint of possible influence?

fedup dem said...

Has anyone checked to see if any of those "campaign contributions" to Joe Moore coincided with the dates of any court cases regarding this building or any other building Stan Enterprises may own in the 49th Ward? If you find a connection, pass that info on to the U.S. Attorney's office and demand they take action!

RANDALL SHERMAN
Secretary/Treasurer, Illinois Committee for Honest Government
Chicago

Jocelyn said...

steph n 63,
What south side slum are you from? What personal issues are you trying to dealing with, which would cause you to make such a blanketed statement?

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