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Sanitarian won’t meet with Campbell council
CAMPBELL — A Mahoning County Board of Health sanitarian says he will not meet with city council members about a homeowner who’s been ordered to clean up her house.
Council members indicated at their meeting Wednesday that they wanted to discuss the case of 600 Porter Ave. with sanitarian Angelo Italiano, who’s been working with homeowner Barbara Muscolo.
Neighbors Rocky Yeropoli and Pat Wilush told council that Italiano had given Muscolo another extension, until Dec. 29, to have the house ready for an inspection. They said they were concerned that Muscolo would be unable to clean up the house herself.
Animal Charity removed more than a dozen cats and two dogs from the house in October, and Italiano issued a deadline of Nov. 17 to clean up accumulated trash and animal excrement. That deadline was extended to Wednesday and then to Dec. 29.
Neighbors said they have been living with the stench of animal waste coming from the house for 12 years.
Muscolo’s 12-year-old daughter and two older children also live in the house, neighbors said.
Italiano notified Mahoning County Children Services about the 12-year-old, and a caseworker was assigned, he said.
Council members had wanted a meeting Monday with Italiano, but he said Thursday the board of health turned the meeting down.
“We think it’s going to be a media frenzy,” he said, adding that the board of health’s policy is to grant extensions if people are making progress.
Muscolo has cleaned up much of the house but has heavy items she needs to remove from the basement, he said. She is waiting until a person she knows who has a dump truck is available to help her, he said.
Italiano said that he and another inspector toured the house Wednesday.
“We went through the first floor, and it was fine,” he said, adding that the animal feces were originally found in the basement, not on the first floor.
He also said there are no odors from the house right now — that was mainly a problem in the summer.
Denise Stewart, executive director of Children Services, confirmed the 12-year-old’s case is still open.
She said someone from the agency has been in the house. She said she won’t discuss the case, but the agency is staying in close contact with Italiano and will monitor the outcome of his next inspection.
starmack@vindy.com