Meanwhile, the site has been under 24-hour police guard and merchants on the block have had their businesses shuttered. No official word has been given on the status of the demolition, although contractors met with city officials on the Monday after the fire.
On the map above, lot 2 on block 315 is seen extending from North Avenue to East Second Street. At some point, the building in question was separated off as lot 2.01. The owner is listed as Dexter Humphrey, with the same address as the building, 117-125 North Avenue. However, except for a bakery, the building was vacant and boarded up. According to people on the block, it was in decline for some time.
The property was purchased in March 1997 for $190,000 and is assessed at $152,400. It is likely that the cost of demolition and the 24-hour guard will add up to more than the property is worth. If the cost is applied as a lien on the property, recouping it is unlikely.
In March 2010, dealing with the emergency demolition fell to new Public Works Director David Brown II. Brown left the administrration in November 2010. The city now has another new director, Eric Jackson, as well as a new city administrator, Eric Berry. These two have arrived just as the city is embroiled in a controversy over another "emergency," the allocation of city funds for a radio broadcast on gang violence. An investigation has resulted in findings that the mayor and certain city staff may have acted improperly in that situation. Perhaps this is all leading to an excess of caution in the current North Avenue matter.
Without any official communication, the public can only speculate on reasons for the delay. Meanwhile, the street closing and inability of businesses to operate are taking a toll of unknown scope. We hope for the sake of the merchants that whatever has to be done to normalize the situation will take place soon.
--Bernice
Bernice,
ReplyDeleteWhat I would like to know is, Why is the City taking on responsibility for the demolition and cleanup yet again? Do they know who the property owner is? Yes. Im sure with the assistance of the Police Dept, they can track him down. He should have insurance in place that would take care of this for him. If he does not, let him sign over title to the City BEFORE they spend tax monies to do the demolition. Has the City been reimbursed from the last North Ave demolition? Do they have title to the property so it can be sold and redeveloped? I doubt it. I can only hope that the City has learned from the last issue to get the information in place before bringing in the wrecking ball. I NEVER had a town come in to perform a demolition on one of my buildings in an event like this. Thats what insurance is for. Just my 2 cents. A happy and healthy new year to you and the residents of Plainfield.