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Village: Eyesore could take "months" to demo
The 105 W. Washington St. structure was uninsured, and the village has been unable to locate the owner, according to Mayor David Wallace. "It's going to take time," Wallace said in response to residential complaints the semi-collapsed structure is an eyesore on the main street of the village. "This is a real problem," said West Washington Street resident Bruce Dennis, who described the house as "that burned-out hulk." He urged the village to either demolish the remains of the house, or burn it as a practice drill for volunteer firefighters. Village Codes Officer Ralph Senese identified the owner as Phillip Rossi, of the same address. Officials, however, have been unable to contact Rossi since the fire forced him and second-floor tenants to vacate the premises. Senese added he believes the fire damaged the property beyond repair. "I don't think it's feasible for repair," he said. The codes officer told The Courier he sent Rossi a notice Tuesday ordering him to secure the property and apply for a permit either to rebuild it or demolish it. The letter may be forwarded to Rossi's new address, Senese noted. Otherwise, the letter will be returned unopened to the codes office, and Senese will post the order on the building itself. If no action is taken in 20 days, Senese said, the village can begin litigation in state Supreme Court, where the demolition issue may be resolved. Village attorney John Leyden added the municipality would likely take possession of the property in order to oversee the razing. Senese added he would dispatch immediately a trash collection unit to the property to pick up bags of household garbage that were stored inside the house when it was sealed. |
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