Friday, April 27, 2007
Student displeased with landlord
By Stephen Fenton
contributing writer
Mark Maggs of Beech Creek,
Pennsylvania is just one of many people
who have had troubles with their land
lord. Like all the tenants before him,
Maggs finds himself fighting an uphill
battle with his landlord over issues that
have been a problem in the past.
Maggs, being a college student, need
ed a place to live for the 2006-2007
school year. When his search led him to
Wattsburg Road, he said that he didn't
know what he was getting himself into,
which was an apartment that was already
falling apart.
In the past renters of this apartment
have encountered problems with
drainage, flooding, rust and insects.
According to Maggs, the landlord had
knowledge of these problems before and
refuses to fix them, charging the tenants
for every problem with the apartment.
The apartment, which is located in the
basement of a hair salon studio, is a two
bedroom, one bathroom apartment with
a living room and kitchen. The owners
of the hair salon did not want their
names used in this story because they did
not want to hurt their business, but did
provide some input in the situation.
They said that the apartment had been
sprayed for insects numerous times, and
that the walls have been prevented to not
allow water in, thus blaming the tenants
for all problems. But according to
Maggs, every single time it rains or
snows, the entire apartment floods.
After flooding many times, Maggs
noticed a faint odor in the air and
became concerned about it, thinking it
might be mold growing under the carpet.
Quotes on Civility
"We cannot always oblige; but we
can always speak obligingly."
pti
Past tenants have reported similar prob
lems with flooding and have treid to con
tact the Board of Health to come in and
review the status of the apartment, but
somehow the landlord fights their way of
the situation time and time again.
Maggs said, "There could be some virus
or something serious being emitted into
the air." Knowing that this could
become serious, he contacted the Board
of Health also and scheduled a meeting
to review the apartment. But once again
the landlord intervened and told the
Board of Health that the problem was
being taken care of and that nothing like
this would happen again. Past tenants
have said that the landlord tries to "nick
el and dime" them for their money to pay
off their personal rent for the hair salon.
Maggs said, "These people are ridicu
lous, if there is going to be so many
problems with this place, then why
should they even rent it out?" Maggs
planned on taking this situation to court
and try to get his rent money back, since
he was on a tight budget being a college
student. But there is only three weeks of
school left and he doesn't want to go
through the hassle, because he could end
up spending more money in court fees
than money he would actually get back.
Other problems include a lot of
insects, rust on most water pipes,
improper window sealing and of course,
the flooding issue. By looking at the
apartment, one would not suspect any
thing to be wrong, because it looks clean
and in shape.
Maggs does not plan on returning to
this apartment next year, and has con
tacted the Board of Health secretly so
that future tenants do no encounter the
same problems he and many other have.
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for Mmners is Civility
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N E W
The day the music died
From Penn State Behrend to Mercyhurst College. Parade
Street proudly displays why it is the original main street of
Erie. Driving up Parade St. each house, building, and anyway
seems to scream out, "I have a story to tell. - One building on
the corner of Parade St. and Pine Avenue has an enormous
story to tell. Outside. a single, green sign hangs, swaying in
the wind, Herman's.
Inside, the long bar extends
from the wall all the way to
the entrance, surrounded by a
wall of booths meshed with
tables, all waiting patiently to
be filled. Opened in 1950,
and still owned by the origi
nal owner, Herman
Marquard, each seat has its
own story to tell. The first
booth just sits there. reserved
for its special regular that will
never fill it again. Walter
Hendl starting sitting in his
booth back in 1976, leaving it
on April 10, 2007, when he
passed away
In 1976, the talented young
man walked through the
doors of Herman's with his
wife, Barbara. wanting a glass
of white wine and a shot of
vodka. Hendl was starting the Walter Hendl led the Erie Philharmonic for many years
beginning of his long career
as the new director of the Erie Philharmonic, later retiring in
1990.
Hendl began his career in New Jersey in 1929, enlisting in
the army by 1942. The army didn't stop Hendl from living his
musical dream; he formed a jazz and marching hand on the
New Castle Army Air Base in Delaware. The "Jive Bombers"
went to Wilmington to help raise money 14 war bonds.
Discharged two years later, fiend! went on to write and con
duct the music for the Broadway musical. "Dark of the
Moon."
By Nicole Rolle
contributing write
Hendl became the conductor of the New York Philharmonic,
and from there traveled all over the country conducting and
assisting Philharmonics from Dallas to Chicago. Hendl's
national fame brought him international fame. Hendl traveled
from Moscow to Asia. then to Vienna before heading back to
the states as a professor at the Julliard School of Music.
When Hendl landed a job in Erie, he drove down Parade St.
and ended up at Herman's. "He stopped by for a drink on his
way into town. and sort of never left - . said Jack Donahue,
bartender at Herman's for the last
five years. Donahue went on to
talk about all the stories Hendl had
told him over the years, laughing as
he tried to recite them all.
Even at 90 years old, Hendl still
had the same quick whit he did
back in 1976, when he first started
wooing the ladies and entertaining
the men. Along with his quick
whit. Hendl started suffering from
heart and lung disease.
Arthritis and old age might have
stopped Hendl from playing his
music, but his "personality and sto
ries still made him on hell of an
entertainer, - said Donahue.
On Tuesday, April 10.2007, Walter
J. Hendl died of heart and lung dis
ease at the age of 90, after battling
it for many years. "He was a really
great guy," said Donahue, "he is
really going to be missed."
Herman's is still there, and the
memory of Hendl seems to linger at
the booth where he and his wife sat for so many years.
Hendl's booth is one of many inside Herman's, and his story
is just one of a million waiting to be told.
Herman's has been a staple and foundation for the history of
Erie and Parade Street. It only seems far that his historical
monument would he the place where this historical man would
sit for over forty years. While Hendl might not be able to sit
in his booth anymore, the empty booth still sits there, patient
ly waiting for another regular to fill it, adding their history to
Erie.
The Behrend Beacon I 3