Letter delays Katharine Road trash-hoarding case

The town’s court case against a woman accused of making her yard a health hazard has been delayed.

The owner of the home in question, Basia Dziewanowski, will head back to court on Jan. 10 after she sent a letter to the court pleading to continue her civil case after the holiday season.

Dziewanowski, 58, will be part of a hearing next week regarding the possible health concerns and hazardous conditions of her property. The piled-up debris and recycled items she has collected over time has caused a stir with her neighbors and sparked inspections from town officials during recent months.

Dziewanowski, a resident of 41 Katharine Road, and Watertown’s Public Health director first went to Waltham District Court on Dec. 13 for a “show cause” hearing, aimed at determining if there was enough evidence for the case to go forward.

Since a conclusion has yet to be made by the court magistrate, Dziewanowski was set for another hearing on Dec. 27, but due to family plans and “medical hardship,” she said she was unable to get there in time.

In the letter, Dziewanowski also claims that her legal representation had canceled the day before.

Since then, Dziewanowski said her uncle from Poland has been visiting the home she has lived in for 45 years, and is working to help throw out and recycle some of her outdoor junk.

But despite those with complaints about the Katharine Road “eyesore,” Dziewanowski claims that it’s her neighbors who are poisoning her with toxic lawn-care services and the exhaust from running cars.

After the health department gave a property inspection in October, Dziewanowski was given two weeks to comply by removing the visible trash, but was unable to do so. Watertown’s fire inspector also wrote to her that many of the items in her yard are “likely to cause fire.”

The woman who “lives organically” said her sanitary solution to make her property spotless is still a work in progress, along with her need for additional help due to her own health problems.

“I need them to be assured that my long-range goal is to get this place cleaned up,” Dziewanowski said on Jan. 2.