Mayor Evan Trent mentioned at the November 24 village board meeting that he has been studying legislation adopted by the City of Kingston that deals with abandoned buildings. The law was adopted by the Common Council of the City of Kingston in 2016. It was adapted from a law that has been on the books in Port Jervis for a long time.

The essence of the law is that owners and mortgagees have obligations even when their property is abandoned. Letting a house or commercial building fall into ruins is simply not allowed. Owners of such property cannot escape their obligation to the municipality and community.

Kingston’s code essentially says that owners or mortgagees of vacant buildings have 30 days from the vacancy to ensure that the building “be maintained in good repair and be structurally sound and free from rubbish, garbage and other debris.”

Another interesting section of the Kingston code sets out what happens once a code enforcement officer files a certification of abandonment. Said notice has to be served upon the owner in person or posted in a conspicuous place on the property as well as mailed via registered mail to the owner’s last known address.

Failure to pay any fees shall result in said fee being charged as a municipal lien on the property or added to the tax roll as an assessment or levied as a special tax against the land on which the building sits, or even “shall be recovered in a suit of law against the owner.”

No escape in other words. No walking away from an unkempt building that has been neglected and is no longer habitable.

Introducing the topic at the meeting, Trent explained that it would create a “fee class” with a dollar amount tied to square footage of the abandoned property. Trent suggested that this would motivate owners to take action to either repair such buildings, or remove them entirely and sell the property.

Clinton Avenue Bridgewatch

Mayor Trent explained that the hold up on the long-awaited Clinton Avenue bridge replacement is now over the small “slivers” of land needed where the bridge abutments touch properties on either side. Trustee T.J. Briggs commented that “some neighbors are getting greedy.” Where rents of $1,100 were in place, the demand now is for $5,000.

“So now it’s a golden goose!” Briggs said.

This right of way issue must be solved before the work on the bridge can commence. The bridge’s troubles date back to Hurricane Irene, back in 2011.

Water Lines

Winter is coming and Ellenville’s 25 miles of pipes and mains, dating from different eras and made of different materials, are once again showing their age and fragility. Evan Trent noted the leaks and said that the water department is making significant progress on them.

Another Week, Another Pump

The board passed a motion to authorize payment to Koester for $10,262.86 for repairs to an Ebara-brand pump for the sewer department.

Mike Ryman of the department addressed the board with a concern that the work being done by Delaware Engineering right now on plans for refurbishment of the sewer plant are “going all over the place” and are not focused sufficiently on getting problem areas complete fixed. The board and Trent agreed to study his concern.