OSWEGO -- The Oswego Common Council has voted to evict an entire apartment building over a roach infestation.
The original resolution up for a vote Monday night was to evict just two tenants in a problem apartment on West Third Street in the city. Instead, councilors unanimously amended the resolution to include all four apartments in the building.
"Those critters will get anywhere and everywhere and unless you do a total and complete fumigation," said Alderman Ronald Kaplewicz, "I think they're going to have to take some pretty drastic measures to exterminate the problem."
Kaplewicz says the apartment building has been a problem for more than just bugs. Since January of this year, the building has been the site of 82 calls for either police or the fire department.
"If you have that kind of call record, something's wrong, there's a red flag," Kaplewicz said, "I'm not saying it's all wrong, but you need to figure out why, because it's a great consumer of public service dollars and everyone is concerned with where we're spending our time and our money."
All of the apartments are occupied, and all tenants must be out by September 30th. Tenants have not yet been told they have to move, but Kaplewicz says the Salvation Army has already offered assistance.
Meanwhile, the landlord will not be able to rent out apartments in the future until the building has been completely cleaned out and up to code.
