Dangerous Buildings, Board of Review

BOARD OF REVIEW - DANGEROUS BUILDINGS MINUTES Wednesday, July 25, 2018, 5:00 PM Committee members present: Chair Gary Schnip, Alderwoman Stacy Gould, Tucker Braddock Jr., James Heist, Sofee Noblick, and Darryl Wickham Committee members absent: James Quarto Others Present: Building Official James Troeger, Blight Officer Brittany Williams and Gloria Warheide 1. Call to Order: Chair Gary Schnip called the meeting to order at 5:12 PM. 2. Determination of a Quorum: It was determined that a quorum was present. 3. Acceptance of Minutes: On a motion by Alderwoman Gould, seconded by Sofee Noblick, the minutes of May 23, 2018 of the Board of Review (BOR) were unanimously approved with “RFP” changed to “invitation to bid” in #9(d). 4. Public Comment: Gloria Warheide was present to speak regarding her property located at 98 Washington Street. Jim Troeger invited her to give an update on the renovations which have been ongoing for over ten years. Gary noted the committee has been quite concerned at the apparent lack of progress. She offered to replace some windows and remove the plastic by next month’s meeting. Brittany recommended she cover gaps from the inside. Due to a dispute she has with Norwich Public Utilities, the water has been turned off. She uses bottled water. She reported there is electricity at the house. Jim said the committee is concerned with the appearance of the property from the street. Based on Property Maintenance Code, the city is required to assess fines to rectify these situations. He said the speed of the repairs is not satisfactory. The city has no choice but to start issuing citations. Gary inquired into the long term plan for the property. He said the BOR had hoped for her to provide a plan on the time line for finishing the repairs. Gloria did not provide a timeline. Gary suggested getting quotes from contractors on the immediately necessary work that she cannot perform herself. She agreed to do that. Gary asked her to come back to the September meeting. Jim asked her to keep him updated. 5. Communications: None 6. Blight updates/concerns: a) 62 North Main Street: Blight Officer Brittany Williams reported the legal process has begun. It has citations and is in judgement phase. The owner has until August 9, 2018 to report to the court. The fines are $65,000. b) 554-556 East Main Street: Jim T reported he checked with Attorney Michael Driscoll. The owner was given a year to comply. Brittany saw what appeared to be commercial conduct at the property. Jim T will look into this activity. c) 337-341 Main Street (YMCA): Alderwoman Gould had nothing new to report. d) Jordan’s Retaining Wall: Jim T reported no activity. Brittany spoke with Barbara Jordan. Barbara reported the excavator will be sold in August. e) 38 West Main Street, Marina Towers: Alderwoman Gould said there is no buyer yet. The two boats are still there. Brittany said the owners have not responded. She will be issuing a specific notice for the boats giving them 30 days for corrective action before fines begin.  f) Hale Mill: Jim T reported the property has been sold. Alderwoman Gould reported the developers plan to use the property as a hotel. Brittany reported their office has attempted communication with the railroad but the railroad has been non-responsive. It is owned by a railroad in Canada. g) 61 Lincoln Avenue: Jim reported there is a plan in place. He will update the BOR next month. h) 95 River Avenue: Brittany reported progress with several blight issues on the property. The owners are working with her. They speak weekly regarding clean-up plans. i) 31-33 Cliff Street: Jim T reported the building is boarded up. The city does not own this property. j) 77 Clinton Avenue: Brittany reported a lot of progress at the site. Gary mentioned this property is in a flood way. Brittany suggested making City Planner Deanna Rhodes aware, as she is in the best position to assist with a wetlands issue. k) 62 Plain Hill Road: Jim reported the roof has caved in. Brittany reported the door is open. Alderwoman Gould said it is on the Do Not Enter list with the fire department. The property needs to go through Probate Court to clear title. 7. Watch List: a) 24 River Avenue: Brittany reported there is a blue tarp on the roof. b) Norwich Hospital Site: Gary reported there was an article in the paper about the legal issues with the property. c) 231 Broadway: Jim T reported this property is being cared for. The porch is being temporarily supported in several areas. d) Verguson Avenue: Brittany reported the address is 6 Huntington Avenue. The owner has been in touch with the office. She is monitoring this. e) 23 Williams Street: Jim T reported this is being fixed. f) 209 Boswell Avenue: Jim T reported progress at this property. 8. Foreclosure in Progress: a) 29 Boswell Avenue: Alderwoman Gould reported the foreclosure is in progress. Jim T said the property is blighted. b) 26 Elijah Street: Alderwoman Gould reported that Attorney Wickless told her the appraisal has been completed. Alderwoman Gould will follow-up with Carlene to see when the tax auction will be held. 9. City Owned Properties a) Reid and Hughes: Alderwoman Gould reported lots of activity. Clean-up has begun. b) 270 West Thames Street: Alderwoman Gould reported the RDA is looking to do environmental assessments and determine if it should be demolished. It is a gateway property to Shipping Street. It is one of the top five priorities of the RDA’s Brownfields List. c) 13 Baltic Street: Alderwoman Gould reported the title should be clear this week. Attorney Wickless will be updating her.  d) 11 Lake Street: Jim T reported the back stairs are hazardous. Brittany reported there is a dumping ground in the rear, as well. Windows are also broken. Alderwoman Gould will request DPW remove the staircase and secure the house. e) 482-492 Norwich Avenue: No new report. 10. Other: a) Public Works Committee (PWC) Report: Alderwoman Gould reported the PWC made determinations on the city owned properties. The list and associated suggestions for disposition have been approved by the council. There will be another list at the end of the summer. No determination has been made on 482-492 Norwich Avenue. This was a six-family dwelling before the fire. Jim T will check with Deanna Rhodes regarding this property. b) Checklist: Alderwoman Gould presented the BOR with a draft of the procedure. Melinda will scan it and send it to all members. c) 212 Prospect Street: Jim T reported this 2-family home was built in 1890. This is city-owned per Attorney Driscoll. He toured it today and recommends the BOR do a walk through. d) 504 East Main Street: Jim T reported NPU owns this property. e) 702 New London Turnpike: Jim T noted this requires demolition due to the recent fire. f) 43 Fountain Street: Jim Heist brought this to the BOR’s attention as a blight issue. Brittany will follow-up. 11. Next meeting: The next regular meeting is Wednesday, August 22, 2018, at 5 PM. 12. Adjournment: On a motion by Jim Heist, seconded by Sofee Noblick, the Board of Review unanimously adjourned at 6:52 PM. Respectfully Submitted, Melinda Wilson Recording Secretary