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North Adams Plans Hearing on Blighted PropertiesBy Tammy Daniels - February 14, 2008
 | | 223-225 East Main St. is set to be declared a public nuisance. |
NORTH ADAMS - Owners of the dilapidated properties blighting the city's neighborhoods have run out of time. The city is moving forward with plans to rehabilitate or demolish dozens of these structures in its neighborhoods.
"We have taken every step humanly possible to try to get them to do something," Mayor John Barrett III told the City Council on Tuesday night. "I'm sure in two weeks someone will be here praying for mercy ... praying that they be given more time.
"The council sometimes has given the property owners additional time ... every time the City Council gave additional time to these landlords, nothing was done."
At the mayor's request, the City Council set a public hearing for Tuesday, Feb. 26, at 7:30 p.m. to declare the first five buildings public hazards. That will give the city the authority to raze the structures, many of which have been condemned.
The buildings are at 80 1/2 Prospect St., owned by the estate of Jessie Vallieres; 34 Harrison Ave., owned by Arthur Boucher; 34-40 Arnold St., owned by Franklin Perras; and 223-225 and 229-231 East Main St., owned by Charles "Rusty" Ransford.
Barrett said these five are the first steps; more properties will be brought before the council in the coming weeks.
The mayor's been tilting against absentee and delinquent landlords for years. But in his inaugural speech for his 13th term last month, the state's dean of mayors declared war against what he described Monday night as "equity thieves."
A commission, chaired by Councilor Richard J. Alcombright, was created to explore options in fighting the blight and targeting buildings that needed to be demolished or which could be rehabilitated.
The blighted buildings are draining the equity of the homes around them, Barrett continued. Worse, "drug dealers are attracted to communities in which there is poor housing stock available. It attracts them, it brings them here."
It's a problem frequently seen in urban areas with run-down buildings, he said. "Get rid of substandard housing, you get rid of drug dealers."
They mayor presented letters from Building Inspector William Meranti going back several years and ordering various violations be repaired.
229-231 East Main St. |
The Harrison Street house was cited for broken windows, exposed window framing, missing siding and roof deterioration more than two years ago; the Arnold Street building has rotten porch roofs, a crumbling foundation and is overrun with brush.
In response to councilors' questions, the mayor said efforts to take the property owners to court have been futile. He gave an example in which one landlord was fined $3,000 but the judge knocked it down to $300 - the property was never fixed.
He estimated that it could cost the city up to a half million to deal with the blight problem; but it would be money well spent since it would increase property values and equity and open some areas to new development. The city has received a small-cities grant toward the initiative.
When Councilor Marie Harpin asked if the city could recoup the cost from the owners, Barrett said it was unlikely, though the city would attempt to go after the owners' assets.
Harpin said such landlords had failed to work with the city despite numerous opportunities. "I really feel very strongly that something has to be done."
Barrett said the subprime mortgage market was a major factor in the spread of blight, because these out-of-town financial institutions have been writing loans for anyone with "a heartbeat."
"We asked for an investigation into the city more than a year ago," he said.
In other business, the council:
Approved changes to parking on several city streets, including to place long-term parking meters on five spots along St. John's Way (in front of the cinemas) and make four more handicapped; banned parking along the north side of Davenport Street within 50 feet of the Church Street intersection and on the southern side of Porter Street, a one-way street, within 58 feet from the intersection of Church Street.
Harpin expressed concern over who was supposed to notify people about public hearings regarding their street. Councilor Ron Boucher echoed that statement, because several residents appeared at a commission hearing only because they had heard it mentioned during the council's videotaped meeting.
Barrett said commission Chairman Mary Ann King, of the Department of Public Safety, was required to notify residents and that he would speak to her about it.
A Traffic Commission hearing on parking on Chesbro Avenue and Rand Street has been postponed to Feb. 20; it will come before the council again on Feb. 26.
Passed to a second reading recommendations for updating the fee schedule for weights and measures. The fees have not been updated since 1982. |
| It is with regret that I write this but its about time someone did. It seems that state and city employees receive a much larger pension than their employers, that’s the people that are taxed to make those payments. The average Soc Sur recipient is 14 to 17 K of taxable income if the party is lucky enough to have saved and is drawing a private pension which out of this they also have to pay their medical insurance plans s as Medicare don’t foot the whole bill. Those working for state and cities receive a mush higher rate of retirement and pay a much smaller amount to health insurance than the average MM/Doe. This needs to stop, those pensions need to be rolled back. If those employees want to live the life of luxury after retirement let then set aside part of their earning as the average MM Doe had /has to do. We can’t afford those high paying pensions and benefits any longer. | | from: Phil Carbin | on: 02-21-2008 |
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| I believe that this is the first step in the recovery and revitalization of north adams. I will be hopefull of some resolution of eagle street properties and the delapidated buildings are numerous. I believe that the town should make eagle street a priority in this persuit of neglagent land owners. Residents and visitors alike see this sort of thing and it speaks volumes about our town, and not in a good way. I comment the mayor and his staff for taking on this task and wish him well and god speed | | from: dragonflii | on: 02-14-2008 |
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