Survey of burned home to aid Potsdam cleanup

POTSDAM — Village officials are a step closer to state Supreme Court action aimed at forcing a property owner to clean up a blighted former home.

The property at 23 Sisson St. is owned by Sonya M. Turner, according to village tax records, and has been vacant since fire gutted the building in July 2008. The building now sits burned and collapsed in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

In June, village trustees began the slow process of documenting damage at the site, directing Code Enforcement Officer John F. Hill to file a written report on the condition of the former family dwelling.

On Tuesday, the Board of Trustees voted to have a certified engineer survey the building and surrounding property. The engineering report will take into account not just structural damage to the building itself, but its impact on the character of the community and neighborhood, and whether the property has any historical value.

A written report of those findings, including an estimated cost for cleanup or repair, will be presented to the trustees in the coming weeks, according to village Administrator Michael D. Weil.

Mr. Weil said the board then will make a determination on whether it wants to pursue the next step in the process: taking the landowner to state Supreme Court to force a cleanup of the property.

"The village code has a specific process in order to take care of these situations and that is the process that we are following," Mr. Weil said.

Mr. Hill said Wednesday he is hoping to schedule an engineering inspection of the blighted property later this month.

He said he has visited the burned-out shell a number of times over the past two years following complaints from neighbors who worry about safety and the impact the structure is having on neighborhood character.

According to village code, the village has the right to condemn blighted and abandoned properties but cannot begin cleanup of such sites without specific court approval.

If the court rules in favor of the village, the building can be razed by village crews and the property owner billed for the demolition and site cleanup work, village officials said.

In addition to the cost of cleaning up the site, the landowner will be charged an additional 50 percent of the overall cost as compensation to the village, according to the code.