The dilapidated house at 8 Sumter Ave. in East Williston is as close as it’s ever been to being sold and rid of its multitude of issues, said village attorney Jeffrey Blinkoff at a recent village board meeting.
In speaking with the buyers’ attorney, Blinkoff said the property is expected to close before Christmas, and a discussion was held on submitting building plans to be reviewed by Village Building Inspector Robert Campagna.
“Hopefully that’s good news, and within a couple of weeks, the home will be sold and transferred,” Blinkoff said, who indicated that at closing, the village would be paid the money it is owed on the property.
According to Blinkoff, the buyers’ plan is to rehabilitate the structure rather than demolish it.
“On purchase, the very first thing the buyers need to do is make sure the structure is watertight and safe, and confirm that with the village,” Blinkoff said. “After that, they can submit plans and go forward with them—and if there are violations, they would be issued to the new homeowners.”
Jim Daw, a former village board member, asked whether the house has deteriorated to such a condition that it could not be renovated, which Blinkoff said a recent engineer’s report did not reach that conclusion.
“The house is by no means in good condition, and the village has done a cost benefit analysis, demolition versus rehabilitation, which will be up to the purchaser,” Blinkoff said.
Dating back several years, the property, owned by John and Theresa Muzio, has been a source of complaints from village residents, ranging from raccoon infestation to being a general eyesore in the neighborhood with unkempt shrubbery and loose roofing. The Muzios did not return calls for comment.
Last month, Blinkoff reported that he had been advised raccoons were still entering and leaving the property.
Then in October 2013, treasurer Michael Delury provided a brief financial history of demolition costs, totaling $16,264.
According to Delury, the village has paid an estimated $10,860 in engineering fees, primarily for the review of the house, and legal fees are estimated at $2,119. Costs for animal control, removal, repairs, the installation of locks and other general safeguarding costs for the property totals up to $3,285.
Unpaid taxes and water penalties accrued through Oct. 31, 2013, totaled $20,459.73. Delury said these costs go back as far as 1995.
New Street Sweeper
Trustee Christopher Siciliano announced that the village will be purchasing a new street sweeper for $188,815.
According to Siciliano, the sweeper is expected to arrive in February, and has to be ordered by the end of the year to avoid the cost increasing by $6,000.
“It’s very necessary for the village,” Siciliano said. “We also got an extended warranty, which is for five years, and it will fit in the garage.”
Siciliano said that village officials had met with officials from the Town of North Hempstead on a potential deal with a new street sweeper, and Siciliano explained that the town uses a larger sweeper, which wouldn’t fit in the village garage.
Car Accident In Village
Deputy Mayor Bonnie Parente discussed a recent car accident in the village, where a resident’s life was saved by taking advice to go to the hospital.
According to Parente, the steering wheel was bent in such a way that paramedics advised the resident to go to the hospital—which he was initially refusing to do so.
“He wouldn’t go for about 20 minutes, and he had no bruises or anything else on him,” Parente said.
Eventually convincing the resident to go, Parente said it was found that his kidney had ruptured and he would have “bled to death in the middle of the night.”
