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SALEM -- The Salem Housing Department is back at full operational force.
The second part-time housing inspector vacancy which the city has been attempting to fill this year has officially been filled with the recent hire of Jarrod Richter. Health Commissioner Kayla Crowl said that with Richter's hire, and two housing inspectors on the staff, all the department's recent efforts to increase its efficiency and the number of inspections completed each week would be doubled to match the increase in personnel.
The increase in personnel will also fit neatly into the "divide and conquer" approach that Crowl said the department was taking in completing inspection for properties with multiple units, which Crowl noted had already been put into practice in the department's inspections in February.
"We have taken a divide and conquer approach whenever we're doing an inspection with a landlord with multiple units. For instance, we did 48 units in one day, and they had two individuals that were able to divide and conquer with us to do the inspections in a timely manner and just take care of it in one day, and they were able to take their 'honey-do list' and make their corrections," said Crowl.
Crowl said that the majority of complaints for both housing, and environmental health continued to be trash-related issues in February, echoing recent sentiments that these issues were likely stemming from an inability of the households in question to consistently afford their trash bill.
"I think it boils down to people not being able to afford to keep their garbage service every time it comes due. It's about $70 to $75 every three months, but that appears to be problematic for a lot of these households," said Crowl.
Of the seven complaints the department investigated in February, Crowl said that five had been remediated within the allotted timeframe. Crowl also noted that the bulk of the units the department inspected had only "minor issues," and continued to praise how quickly property owners have complied with any issues highlighted by the department without any pushback.
"Overall, the units we've gotten into and inspected have been wonderfully kept with minor issues. We did have a couple we're working on that require more than just a little TLC, but as far as the complaints go, garbage is typically what we see. Overall, we've not had too many issues when we receive a complaint; typically we are able to receive compliance when we're able to make contact with these individuals," said Crowl.
Part-Time Housing Inspector David Louk said that the department had been busy thus far in March, and that its pace showed no signs of slowing, noting that his inspection schedule is completely booked through Aug. 20.
The board of health will meet next at 2 p.m. April 17.