New Berlin approaching resolution on condemned building
NEW BERLIN – Officials are nearing a final resolution over the fate of a historical, three-story, condemned building located in the heart of the Village of New Berlin.
The village board is recommending that the 19th-century brick building at 2-10 N. Main St. be demolished and be replaced with a public park or sold to a local business.
County codes officials and local emergency crews were called to the structure in early January 2008 because individuals nearby noticed bricks were falling from it. The building was then condemned and the tenants evacuated.
The board approved a motion to demolish the building, but will wait to make a final decision when it holds a public hearing on the issue. A public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. April 22 at the Village Office Building, 71 North Main St.
“We’ll hear from local citizens, discuss our options and offer our take on how we should proceed,” said New Berlin Mayor Wade Schrag.
However the action taken by the board relies on it receiving a grant it has not yet been approved for.
Schrag announced that the village was submitting an application to New York State for funding under the Restore New York Round Three Funding Program that would provide up to $200,000 for the proposed project. The mayor said a contractor, Burrell’s Excavating, had done an assessment of the work at the site and estimated the cost to be about $155,000.
Schrag reported that he received information from Chenango County Code Enforcement engineers that stated the structure was “not fixable.”
The building’s owner, Kenneth George of Morris, filed for bankruptcy earlier in 2008 and has been unable to take on the burden of the cost of demolition or repair.
Built in 1882, the structure has been used by dozens of merchants and housed numerous tenants over the years. It is part of the historic district in New Berlin and has protection from the municipality. The building can still be demolished by the owner, however.
George has agreed to sign the building over to the village and has permitted contractors to review the site in order to apply for the grant.
The village would have to pay $24,000 owed in back taxes.
Believing the building to be a hazard to its citizens, the village pressed the county with a threat of a lawsuit in August, but decided not to pursue the action.
County Public Health Director Marcas Flindt said the agency had no legal power or right to do anything other than to “determine if a building is safe, or if it’s not. After that the property is a dispute between the village and the owner.”
Flindt said he was very pleased that the village was near a resolution and said he thought the current arrangement seemed like a “fair deal.”
New Berlin Village Attorney David Merzig said he thought it would be unfair to the county to press a lawsuit since it was in the middle of reorganizing its personnel.
“We are trying to work cooperatively with the county. With a new regime, things might be seen differently,” said Merzig at the time.
A regime change has also taken place at the village since the village considered the lawsuit with the mayoral election of Schrag in March. Fourteen-year incumbent Carol Riley was defeated in the election.
The village board is recommending that the 19th-century brick building at 2-10 N. Main St. be demolished and be replaced with a public park or sold to a local business.
County codes officials and local emergency crews were called to the structure in early January 2008 because individuals nearby noticed bricks were falling from it. The building was then condemned and the tenants evacuated.
The board approved a motion to demolish the building, but will wait to make a final decision when it holds a public hearing on the issue. A public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. April 22 at the Village Office Building, 71 North Main St.
“We’ll hear from local citizens, discuss our options and offer our take on how we should proceed,” said New Berlin Mayor Wade Schrag.
However the action taken by the board relies on it receiving a grant it has not yet been approved for.
Schrag announced that the village was submitting an application to New York State for funding under the Restore New York Round Three Funding Program that would provide up to $200,000 for the proposed project. The mayor said a contractor, Burrell’s Excavating, had done an assessment of the work at the site and estimated the cost to be about $155,000.
Schrag reported that he received information from Chenango County Code Enforcement engineers that stated the structure was “not fixable.”
The building’s owner, Kenneth George of Morris, filed for bankruptcy earlier in 2008 and has been unable to take on the burden of the cost of demolition or repair.
Built in 1882, the structure has been used by dozens of merchants and housed numerous tenants over the years. It is part of the historic district in New Berlin and has protection from the municipality. The building can still be demolished by the owner, however.
George has agreed to sign the building over to the village and has permitted contractors to review the site in order to apply for the grant.
The village would have to pay $24,000 owed in back taxes.
Believing the building to be a hazard to its citizens, the village pressed the county with a threat of a lawsuit in August, but decided not to pursue the action.
County Public Health Director Marcas Flindt said the agency had no legal power or right to do anything other than to “determine if a building is safe, or if it’s not. After that the property is a dispute between the village and the owner.”
Flindt said he was very pleased that the village was near a resolution and said he thought the current arrangement seemed like a “fair deal.”
New Berlin Village Attorney David Merzig said he thought it would be unfair to the county to press a lawsuit since it was in the middle of reorganizing its personnel.
“We are trying to work cooperatively with the county. With a new regime, things might be seen differently,” said Merzig at the time.
A regime change has also taken place at the village since the village considered the lawsuit with the mayoral election of Schrag in March. Fourteen-year incumbent Carol Riley was defeated in the election.
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