Dangerous Buildings, Board of Review

BOARD OF REVIEW - DANGEROUS BUILDINGS WEDNESDAY JANUARY 25, 2011 MINUTES Committee members present: Gary Schnip, James Quarto, H Tucker Braddock, Andrew Zeeman, Sofee Noblick, Richard Caron Committee members not present: None. Others present: James Troeger, Joe East, Zubare Khan 1. Call to Order: Gary Schnip called the meeting to order at 5:38 p.m. 2. Determination of a Quorum: It was determined that a quorum was present. 3. Acceptance of Minutes from December 21, 2011: The minutes of the December 21, 2011 meeting were reviewed. Upon motion by James Quarto, seconded by Richard Caron, the Board voted unanimously to approve the minutes as amended. Upon a motion of Sofee Noblick, seconded by James Quarto, it was unanimously voted to suspend the rules to add 54-58 Broadway discussion to the agenda and make it the next item since Zubare Khan has joined the meeting. A discussion between the committee and Zubare Khan about 54-58 Broadway ensued. The committee lets Mr. Khan know that the Fire Chief has determined that there are wiring issues, holes, and structural problems with the building and that a fire there would affect not just his building but neighboring ones as well since the Fire Department will not enter the building if there is fire. They ask Mr. Khan what his intentions are and what his time frame is. Mr. Khan states he has started working on the building. The power is turned off. His tenant had refused him access to the building but now he has won his case against the tenant so he is going to serve the execution. Now he has been able to access the whole building so Mr. Khan has had a chance to assess the building entirely. He intends to replace all the boilers. He had a structural engineer in and there are some areas that need to be addressed structurally. He is putting together a plan with the engineer. He has fixed the roof because there was a leak. He is hoping to start in the spring. He is thinking of starting at the top floor and work his way down. Funding has been his biggest issue. Jim Troeger states that the City would like to get a handle on what is going to happen with the building. As for the electric being off, once the building is safe enough then the power can be restored. Also, the Fire Department has a Do Not Enter order, so once the insides are safer the Chief can inspect the building to lift the Do Not Enter order. Mr. Khan states that he will work on the electrical issues and the floor and wall holes so the Fire Chief can inspect the building and lift the Do Not Enter order so the building and neighboring properties will be safer. 4. Communications: None. Board of Review – Dangerous Buildings 01/25/2012 Minutes Page 2 5. Blight updates/concerns: a. 77 Chestnut Street – No further update yet. Barry has been busy. b. 53 Washington Street – City owned. There will be a city property sale 4/17/2012. c. 105-122 Chestnut Street – Barry is handling this. The building is going to be demolished. d. 60 School Street – Ed Belli - The owner’s intent was to board up the building and sit on it. That has not been done yet. e. 145 Wightman Avenue – The walls are plumbed. Work seems to be moving very slow, too slow. No plans submitted and no permits issued yet. The property is a mess. The committee is planning on sending the Fire Marshal. f. 205 Gifford Street (Raymond) leaning shed – Currently there has been no progress . The owner has been informed that the City is concerned about it. g. 15 Park Street – The debris has been cleaned up. Steve Way is helping the owner draw up plans. None have been received as of yet. Jim Troeger is going to give it a little more time but will continue watching this property. h. 556 East Main Street (Smoke Stack) – Jim Troeger will ask the owner to attend the next meeting for an update. i. White Barn (Near Joe Cassie) – On the City Line – Bank owned. They had a contractor out who was talking about taking it down but it still hasn’t been done. Jim Troeger will find out what the status is. j. 60 Broad Street (Leaning Garage) – George has sent a letter telling them to demolish it or there will be citations. Jim Troeger will keep the committee apprised. k. 9 ½ Fountain Street – City Owned – Jim Troeger will plan a trip to see the property. There is no access to the property. Then maybe the Committee should make a recommendation to the Council. 6. Public Comments: a. Sofee Noblick wants to discuss 130 Prospect Street. Jim Troeger states he spoke with Ed about it and the property is secured so it is a blight issue and not a dangerous building. H Tucker Braddock believes the property maintenance code needs to be assessed to see if the City can do anything with these properties that are blighted. It would be great if the City had any recourse to get the owners to keep the properties clean as well as safe. 7. Other: There are no other items to be brought before the board. Board of Review – Dangerous Buildings 01/25/2012 Minutes Page 3 8. Agenda setting for the next meeting – the next regularly scheduled meeting will be February 22, 2012. 9. Adjournment: Andrew Zeeman motioned to adjourn, seconded by Sofee Noblick, and the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 6:52 p.m. Respectfully Submitted By: Christine Averna