Onota Lake Caretaker's House Once Again Slated For Demolition
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The former caretaker's house on Onota Lake is once again eyed for the wrecking ball.
The building is one of six lined up to be demolished in January. The city is currently out to bid for the demolition of the following properties: 193 Dewey Ave., 538 Lakeway Drive, 266 Onota St., 88 Robbins Ave., 173 Robbins Ave., 14-18 South Church St. The work is expected to be under way in January.
The caretaker's house on Lakeway Drive, on the outskirts of Burbank Park, was acquired by the city in the late 1980s and served as the home of a semi-retired city employee who lived there rent free in exchange for providing security and maintenance at Burbank Park.
He was laid off and evicted in 2007 when former Mayor James Ruberto reorganized the Department of Community Services and placed the park maintenance and security under the Department of Building and Maintenance.
The city held onto the property with the hopes of renovating the small home but ultimately that didn't happen and the vacant building rotted out. In 2014, the building was supposed to be demolished but that too never happened.
On Tuesday, Mayor Linda Tyer announced the newest group of properties slated to be razed that includes the Burbank Park building.
The caretaker's house and 193 Dewey Ave. are the only two on the list in which the city owns. The other four are privately owned and the city has gone through a lien and legal process.
"One of the properties has been on the list for over seven years. The owner is deceased and the property has been a target for vandalism and squatters. Community Development has paid to secure the property twice and for the safety of the community, it is our responsibility to demolish the property," said Laura Mick, community development specialist.
The list was created by what City Hall is calling the "code enforcement task team" that meets once a month to discuss issues of blight. In June, four other properties were razed and these six are the next in line.
"Demolition of a property is not a task the city takes lightly, however, the impact of blighted properties is far-reaching in our community. We know that business and neighborhood blight diminishes property values. Moreover, properties that have fallen into disrepair hurt neighborhood pride and provide a place for activity detrimental to our community's well-being," said Tyer in a prepared statement.
"This is a crucial measure in helping to ensure our city provides a thriving quality of life for our residents and visitors and is also a welcoming place for all those interested in our city. In many of these cases, there is a clear and present challenge to public safety."
Each demolition cost between $35,000 and $40,000 and are being paid for through the city's federal Community Development Block Grant program and the attorney general's Abandoned Housing Initiative. In total, the work will cost some $245,000.
"It's important for the public to know the city is continually working on the many vacant properties that are problematic and continuing to set aside federal funds to deal with them. It's unfortunate that some of these properties have to meet this demise, but it's better in the long run for the health of the neighborhood and the city," said Community Development and Housing Program Manager Bonnie Galant in a statement.
Tyer had campaigned on taking a strong effort against blight but saw some resistance from the City Council once in office. The council rejected a proposal to increase the amount the city spends on building demolition during the budget process. The mayor had asked for an increase in the city's budget for property demolitions by $25,000. That would have supplemented the CDBG funds of some $185,000.
Instead, the council cut that line down to $25,000, the same as the year before and half of Tyer's request. That money would have taken down an additional two blighted buildings.
After the JB Paper Co. fire earlier this year, Tyer returned to the council asking for that $25,000 budget increase again to perform a hazardous material study for the large site and to prepare documents for a demolition and removal of the building's remains. That request was also rejected.
Tags: blight, demolition,
