Sophomore magazine journalism major Alex Kral, junior communication studies major Dan Green and junior technology major Dan Diloreto are in a fight with neighbors over complaints about loud parties and vandalism.

Credit: Steve Schirra

Residents of 573 Vine St. have a Record Courier story about their house on their refrigerator.

It was the first time these residents heard about their neighbors’ complaints and a letter to Ed Bargerstock, the councilman for their ward.

Kent City Council will decide what action to take about these houses at a meeting in the upcoming weeks.

If the neighbors had voiced their concerns to the residents of these boarding houses, then Don Glista, senior justice studies major, would have known there was a problem.

“I wish we would have known about the council meeting so we could have shared our side of the story,” said Glista, one of six residents of 573 Vine St. “I can’t think of one thing we do on a normal basis to annoy people.”

The letter, signed by 23 residents of High and Vine Streets, expressed that action should be taken against 571 and 573 Vine St., such as removing boarding licenses, because of their partying and alleged illegal activities.

These behaviors include excessive noise, public urination, illegal bonfires and littering of refuse – including beer cans.

“If they want to talk about beer cans on the lawn, we’ve never had a party where we didn’t have kegs,” said Dan Diloreto, junior technology major and resident of 573 Vine St. “So all there would be in their front yards are red plastic cups.”

The letter from the High and Vine street residents was written in response to a party held Aug. 27. Police officers responded to a noise violation and cited 573 Vine St. residents. They returned later that night to arrest Diloreto and an underage partier.

“When they came back, there were eight to 10 people on the porch, about the same number of people inside, and the music was off,” he said. “The officer arrested me for unlawful noise after a warning.”

This party was obviously out of control, said Dan Green, junior communications major and one of four residents of 571 Vine St.

“I’ll admit that, but we don’t normally have parties like that. That was the beginning of the year when all of the freshmen are walking around trying to find a party. If they go to College Street, University or Linden Street everything is fine, but if they come to Vine Street, then all of a sudden it is a huge problem.”

Before this party occurred, residents of 573 Vine St. informed some of the neighbors of their social agenda.

“We’ve offered our cell phone numbers to neighbors, and asked them to call us personally if they want us to turn the music down,” Diloreto said.

The neighbors have also never complained directly to the residents of 571 Vine St.

“They sit in their house, and when it gets noisy they call the police,” Green said. “We could give them a schedule of times and days that we are going to be loud if they like.”

These Vine Street houses reside in an area that is now zoned as a densely populated neighborhood.

“Boarding houses are not currently allowed in the area,” Bargerstock said. “The residents of 571 and 573 Vine St. were grandfathered in and are allowed to continue using these residences for boarding houses.”

A boarding house is defined as a residence with three to 20 unrelated people living together.

Complaints against boarding houses assert that they are having huge parties frequently.

“There’s no way we are throwing a huge party like this every weekend. We’d all be in jail by now,” Green said. “And it will never happen like that again, obviously.”

Bargerstock said he is looking to address the residents’ concerns and has submitted an Action Agenda Plan to council. This outlines possible solutions to be discussed by the Health and Safety Committee. This meeting has not yet been scheduled, but residents who have signed the letter will be notified in writing of the date.

Contact public affairs reporter Kimberly Dick at [email protected].