by Deb Alter
The American House on Elm Street was the subject of a Public Hearing on September 28 at Hoosick Village Hall. Building Inspector Mark Surdam has tracked down the owner, who had been located in Las Vegas, Nevada the last time there was correspondence with him; he now lives in Tel Aviv, Israel. After several certified letters to the owner had been returned unanswered, he finally responded. There were several emails back and forth, one of which informed the owner that he needed to come to the September 28 public hearing and show proof that the building does not need to be demolished, or the Village would take action. Surdam received an email from the property owner stating that he intended to “put it [the American House] back together,” but could not come to a public hearing to argue his case that the building is salvageable until November 28.
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Surdam had copies of correspondence between the then building inspector and this same owner from April of 2011 in which the Village asked him to take care of the building and to which the owner replied he would take care of it at that time. Not only did he not keep his word then, he also has not paid his taxes on the property and owes $24,000. Based on past experience with this owner, it seems unlikely he is going to do anything to save the building. Surdam believes that there is correspondence that dates back even farther, further proving that point.
After much discussion, the Board agreed that the Village should not, in fact could not, wait any longer to take the building down as it continues to deteriorate rapidly and is becoming a safety hazard. The Board is concerned that winter and bad weather is just around the corner, and that the building could become a liability for the Village.
Surdam said that he would make sure that it gets roped off even more clearly. At some point it might even be necessary to close that part of Elm Street if the building deteriorates further. Mayor David Borge explained the demolition process, with particular attention to asbestos issues. “If it is not known that a building contains asbestos, then the law says we have to assume that there is asbestos,” he said. The Village has applied for a variance from the Department of Labor, who oversees the process, that will allow a safe, but less costly method of demolishing it. The cost has been estimated to be between $105,000 and $148,000. Three companies have been contacted for bids so far. Mayor Borge is working with the State and County and other outlets for grants and other funding sources to help with the expenses.
Once the demolition process begins, it should take about a month to complete the project.[/private]