Massena agrees to take buildings
MASSENA — Village taxpayers soon will be the owners of the three condemned Slavin and Shulkin Furniture and Jewelry buildings on Water Street.
After two hours of public and board discussion on the issue, the village Board of Trustees agreed Wednesday night to assume ownership of the three buildings once St. Lawrence County forecloses on the properties this spring for a decade's worth of unpaid taxes.
County Treasurer Robert O. McNeil said the foreclosure likely would go before the courts in May and the deed transfer would be recorded sometime in June. The owner of the property then would have until October to write a check for more than $300,000 in delinquent real estate taxes and regain control of the parcels.
All of the trustees voiced serious reservations about saddling the taxpayers with the cost of demolishing the buildings and cleaning up the property, but said they felt they had no choice.
"When — it's not even a question of 'if,' it's a question of 'when' — that building comes down, the village, the taxpayers are going to have to pay to clean it up whether we own it or not," Trustee Joseph A. Macaulay said. "I don't want to own that building, but even if we don't own it we're going to pay."
Village officials sought a grant to demolish the buildings last year but were turned down because the municipality did not own the property.
"I do not want the taxpayers to be saddled with this property, but we've been left with no options," Trustee Patricia K. Wilson said. "We can't do anything without holding ownership."
Mayor Randy G. DeLosh and Mr. Macaulay said the village could back out of its offer to take responsibility for the parcels once the county foreclosed, which likely would prompt the county to cease foreclosure proceedings and allow the buildings to sit there for another year, racking up a larger tax bill and continuing to disintegrate.
But deciding to do nothing about the portion of the structure now threatening to collapse into Water Street is not an option, Mr. DeLosh said.
"We condemned those parcels years ago," the mayor said. "It's our responsibility to protect you, the public."
Village Administrator Everett E. Basford told the board it may not have until June or July to make a decision on how to address the crumbling building at 10-12 Water St.
In the days since the initial roof collapse in the center building, other sections of the roof also have caved in, a hole has opened up on the river side of the structures, a large crack has appeared in the wall of an adjacent building and the remaining brick facade has begun leaning toward the street, officials said.
Department of Public Works Superintendent Hassan A. Fayad and Code Enforcement Officer Gregory C. Fregoe performed a "plumb test" Wednesday on the brick storefront and discovered the top of the wall was leaning 8 to 12 inches into the street.
"We're just about in crisis mode right now," Mr. Basford said. "We watch that building every day. It is in significant failure. I do not believe we have until June or July to do something about it."
Trustee Francis J. Carvel was the only board member who voted against the motion to assume ownership following the foreclosure. He said the board could not agree to take ownership of the properties without first knowing what would be done to the structures once they become the village's responsibility and how much it would cost.
"How can I vote on something I don't know the cost of?" Mr. Carvel asked. "We haven't seen this year's budget yet either. I can't see saddling the taxpayers with this until I have an understanding of what the costs are."
Village Treasurer Daniel E. Case said that if the demolition cost $500,000 and the village paid for the project with a 10-year bond, it would cost taxpayers just over $56,000 per year to do the work. Under the village's current budget, such an expense would amount to a 1.25 percent increase in the tax rate.
