Dangerous Buildings, Board of Review

BOARD OF REVIEW - DANGEROUS BUILDINGS MINUTES Wednesday, October 24, 2018, 5:00 PM Committee members present: Chair Gary Schnip, Alderwoman Stacy Gould, Tucker Braddock Jr., James Heist, James Quarto and Darryl Wickham Committee members absent: All present Others Present: Building Official James Troeger, Blight Officer Brittany Williams and Citizen Mason McMahan 1. Call to Order: Chair Gary Schnip called the meeting to order at 5:13 PM. 2. Determination of a Quorum: It was determined that a quorum was present. 3. Acceptance of Minutes: On a motion by Jim Heist, seconded by Tucker Braddock, the minutes of the September 26, 2018 meeting of the Board of Review (BOR) were approved as presented. 4. Public Comment: None 5. Communications: None 6. Blight updates/concerns: a) 62 North Main Street: Jim T got a call from Mr. Tong regarding hiring a new contractor. Jim recommended a structural engineer review the building for the owner. The fines are over $60,000. Blight Officer Brittany Williams noted the owner is aware of the blight and is communicating with her office. She also reported that the City’s counsel is involved. The BOR decided to invite him to the next meeting. Jim T will take care of inviting him. b) 554-556 East Main Street: Jim T reported this property is still in the compliance period. Jim will check the date of the termination of the compliance period. c) 337-341 Main Street (YMCA): Alderwoman Gould reported all landscaping has been removed by DPW. She also reported there is a lien by the state due to unpaid payroll taxes. NCDC is marketing the property. d) Jordan’s Retaining Wall: Brit reported a blight notice has been sent. The retaining wall is not under her jurisdiction. e) 38 West Main Street, Marina Towers: Alderwoman Gould reported the boats are gone. f) 61 Lincoln Avenue: Jim T reported the owner pulled a permit to fix the porch. g) 31-33 Cliff Street: Alderwoman Gould had nothing new to report. h) 62 Plain Hill Road: Brit has received a call from a potential purchaser. She will update the BOR at the next meeting. i) 212 Prospect Street: Alderwoman Gould spoke with Fawn Walker at NPU about another property they own. Jim will bring this property up at a meeting tomorrow to Fawn. j) 87 5th Street: Alderwoman Gould asked Attorney Wickless. She had no update. k) 20 Dellwood: Alderwoman Gould reported this has been cleaned up.  l) 34-36 Slater Avenue: Brit contacted Attorney Wickless. The last known mortgage holder had sold the mortgage. July’s taxes are past due. There seems to be no known owner. Jim H suggested contacting the payer of the January taxes for information on potential ownership of the property. Brit will follow-up. Alderwoman Gould will check on the camper and speak to Attorney Wickless regarding ownership of the property. 7. Watch List: a) 231 Broadway: Jim T reported staging was set-up but no progress has been made. b) 6 Huntington Avenue (storage structure): Brit reported numerous attempts to contact the owner. The last fine she sent out was $3,300. No action has been taken by the owner since the payment of the first fine. c) 253 Broadway: Jim T reported that two porches are failing. There is a safety concern. Assistant Building Official Dan Coley has issued communication. Brit reported that the resident will not respond when city staff knock on the door. Jim T will follow-up with a wellness check. d) 241 Broadway: Gary reported seeing recent activity. Jim T reported no permits have been pulled. 8. Foreclosure in Progress: a) 29 Boswell Avenue: Alderwoman Gould will follow-up to check on the foreclosure. b) 26 Elijah Street: Alderwoman Gould reported that Attorney Wickless said this foreclosure will be completed by the end of October. Jim T reported that all of the vegetation has been cleared. 9. City Owned Properties: a) 270 West Thames Street: Alderwoman Gould reported the RDA is looking at the area for remediation. b) 13 Baltic Street: Jim Q reported he knows someone interested in purchasing the property. Alderwoman Gould gave him Fred Allyn’s contact information. Jim Q reported part of the chimney fell through the roof. c) 11 Lake Street: Alderwoman Gould reported the RFP has not been issued. It was requested eleven months ago. d) 482-492 Norwich Avenue: Alderwoman Gould will take this back to the Public Works Committee for consideration. All agreed that a committee of sale would be best for this property. e) 43 Fountain Street: Alderwoman Gould will take this back to the Public Works Committee for consideration. The BOR suggests DPW clean up the property, NPD remove the car and Fred Allyn sell 43 and 45 Fountain Street together. f) 504 East Main Street: Alderwoman Gould reported that she spoke with Fawn Walker at NPU. She will bring it up at a meeting tomorrow. g) 702 New London Turnpike: Alderwoman Gould will follow-up with Attorney Driscoll. h) 23 Whitaker: Alderwoman Gould will take this property to Public Works Committee with the suggestion a Committee of Sale be formed for the property. 10. Other:  a) Public Works Committee (PWC) Report: Alderwoman Gould reported that seven pieces of land on the first disposition list were recommended to go to abutters. Only three abutters responded to twenty-two letters sent by the tax office. Alderwoman Gould will contact abutters to determine why they did not respond. b) Brit reported on the Connecticut Blight Remediation Coalition meeting in Hartford on October 23, 2018. Frank Alexander spoke to the group. He spoke about blight, land banking and receivership. 11. Next meeting: The next regular meeting is Wednesday, November 28, 2018, at 5 PM. 12. Adjournment: On a motion by Jim Quarto, seconded by Jim Heist, the Board of Review unanimously adjourned at 7:15 PM. Respectfully Submitted, Melinda Wilson, Recording Secretary