Dead animals, trash removed
from Holmesburg row home

By Jeannie O’Sullivan
Times Staff Writer

Two dead cats were among the bags and bags of debris that Community Life Improvement Program (CLIP) workers removed last week from a Holmesburg rowhouse that has prompted neighbors’ complaints of odor, mess and rats over the past three years.
It wasn’t CLIP’s first visit to 4610 Solly Ave., where at least eight cats and two dogs had lived in the squalor, CLIP officials said.
During this latest visit, on Oct. 28, one worker stood on the crumbling porch and howled "What the . . .!" as he shook fleas from his pant leg. Another worker estimated they’d removed about "75 or 80" bags of trash, including soiled rugs, over the course of about four hours.
The complaints, which began with overgrown shrubbery, started filtering into CLIP offices in 2002 and had escalated in severity until CLIP officials were forced to obtain court clearance to enter the home, said Tom Conway, managing director of the city program.
Workers had cleared out the rubbish-filled basement in January, and returned in June to remove about 800 bags of trash and 80 bags of animal feces.
Neighbors described the absentee owner, Marianne Misnik, as a "hoarder" who visited weekly to feed the animals.
"I used to see the cats peeking out the window," said Paul Definis, who said the smell of cat urine had penetrated his adjacent rowhome. "But I haven’t seen them in months."
Under the policies of CLIP, a neighborhood preservation program established in 2002 at the behest of City Councilwoman Joan Krajewski (D-6th dist.), residents are given 10 days to mitigate complaints against their properties and then are billed for any maintenance services undertaken by CLIP work crews.
Conway said Misnik had failed to comply on every occasion. Misnik, who neighbors said lives with her mother at another location, did not return phone calls to the Northeast Times to discuss the situation.
A woman who answered Misnik’s phone identified herself as Misnik’s sister and said Misnik was ill. She added that Misnik loves animals.
Neighbor Marcy Schwartz said she had offered to find homes for the animals, but Misnik refused.
"I’m so upset I can’t see straight," said Schwartz. "Something’s got to be done."
Misnik, she said, seemed like the "nicest lady in the world."
"She said she did it for the animals," Schwartz said. "Meanwhile, they’re all dead." ••
Reporter Jeannie O’Sullivan can be reached at 215-354-3038 or osullivanj@phillynews.com