Dangerous Buildings, Board of Review

BOARD OF REVIEW - DANGEROUS BUILDINGS MINUTES Wednesday, April 22, 2015 6:00 PM Committee members present: Gary Schnip, Richard Caron, Sr., Alderwoman Sofee Noblick, James Quarto, James Heist, Joseph East, H. Tucker Braddock Committee members absent: None Others Present: James Troeger: Building Official Citizens Present: Richard Hamar 1. Call to Order: Gary Schnip called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. 2. Determination of a Quorum: It was determined that a quorum was present. 3. Acceptance of Minutes of March 25, 2015: On a motion by Jim Quarto, seconded by Jim Heist, the minutes of March 25, 2015 were unanimously approved with the correction that Oakridge is one word. Joe East abstained due to non-attendance. 4. Communications: Gary Schnip reported no communications. 5. Blight updates/concerns: a. 46 School Street (fire damage): James Troeger spoke to owner Marguerite Payne; she is working towards demolition. Jim will follow up. b. 167 Broadway Barn: James Troeger reports they have been working on the property. Some lumber has been salvaged. c. 556 East Main Street: James Troeger is still trying to locate contact information for the owner. He also owns property on Garden Street which seems uninhabited. He also bought 18 Stanton Avenue for $14,000. The Committee would like him to come to the next meeting, if Jim can get in touch with him. d. 241 Broadway: Owner Richard Hamar reported as noted below. The Committee decided to have a letter issued from the Blight Officer to Mr. Hamar to explain the blight process. e. 130 Prospect Street: This property is City owned. It has been posted for demolition. The hazardous materials study has been done. The abutters will be notified. Watch List: a. 16 Fountain Street: Jim Heist reported that nothing has been done. The dumpster is gone. b. 195 Broad Street: James Troeger reported the Blight Officer sent a letter on March 25, 2015 to new bank which now owns the property. The letter states that the City will cite the property after April 7, 2015. Jim will make sure the citations go out, if they haven’t already. c. 34 Lake Street Garage (City owned): It is listed with the realtor, Fred Allen. d. 11 Lake Street (fire damaged): James Troeger reported it is still in the process of foreclosure. e. 218 Washington Street: James Troeger reported Chelsea Groton Bank is foreclosing but haven’t taken possession of the property yet. f. Reid and Hughes: James Troeger reported that nothing has been done with the collapsed roof and more has collapsed since the last meeting. There is no way to make the building weatherproof. g. 8 West Town Street Fence and Johnson Home: James Troeger will remind Harlan Hyde to repair the fence. He will also contact the owner of 8 West Town Street. 6. Public Comments: Richard Hamar reported on his progress at 241 Broadway. It has not been a lot of progress due to snow. The center part of roof, a 12 x 12 section, will be worked on over the next few weeks. This section of the roof is currently covered with tarps. He has a contract with a contractor. Also, he has been working on cutting back the porch and will be done in the next few days. This will put the porch back to 53 inches which is the original size. By the next meeting on May 27, 2015, the Committee would like to see a plan for the roof repairs. The Committee requested Mr. Hamar keep Jim Troeger informed on the status of the repairs 7. Other: a. List of City Owned Properties: Alderwoman Noblick reported on the list of properties. The Public Works Committee will set more prices at their next meeting. Fred Allen will put more properties on the market. b. Pearl Street: Joe East reported a collapsing garage. c. 32 Thames Terrace: Jim Heist noted numerous vehicles at the property. He was approached by a concerned neighbor.  d. 55 Oakridge: Richard Caron noted the disrepair of this property. Jim Troeger will send someone to review the situation. e. 86 Chestnut Street: Richard Caron noted it is full of garbage. Multiple cars are parked there, as well. Alderwoman Noblick suggested using Hyde to clean it up, since there is an existing contract. This process would go through the Public Works Department. f. Lower Boswell Avenue: Several Committee members have seen the pile of furniture. Jim Troeger will contact the Blight Officer regarding this pile. g. 10 6th Street: Alderwoman Noblick noted that the property has been in disrepair for two years. Jim Troeger will follow up. h. 103 5th Street: Alderwoman Noblick noted this property is a chronic blight issue. 8. Next meeting: The next regularly scheduled meeting is Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at 5 PM. 9. Adjournment: On a motion by Richard Caron, Sr., seconded by Jim Heist, it was unanimously voted to adjourn at 6:41 PM. Respectfully Submitted, Melinda Wilson Recording Secretary