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Saturday,ÊS eptemberÊ17,Ê2016
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www.SunCommunityNews.com
In SPORTS | pg. 22-24
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Sentinels score wins on the field
In OPINION | pg. 6
Freedom is a choice
Girls soccer, football earn W’s
Thoughts from behind the pressline
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In CROWN POINT | pg. 19
Remembering Charles Former supervisor Mazurowski passes
New law taking bite out of ‘zombie homes’
State legislation is expediting the rehabilitation and sale of abandoned properties, say county officials By Pete DeMola
pete@suncommunitynews.com
PORT HENRY — Every community has them: Abandoned homes moldering into the landscape, their overgrown, trash-strewn lawns and crumbling edifices tarnishing otherwise pleasant and well-maintained neighborhoods. But relief is in sight. A new state law to combat “zombie homes” — vacant and abandoned properties left unmaintained during foreclosure proceedings — is cleaning up Essex County, local officials are reporting. The legislation, signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in June,
contains a half-dozen provisions designed to expedite the rehabilitation and repair of homes once they become vacated. Once abandoned, the properties fall into decay, diminishing property values and posing public health risks. Local officials have long said these properties pose one of the most vexing problems for municipalities, namely because their hands are largely tied, both legally and economically, when it comes to what they can do to clean up their communities. Little could be done to force owners to keep the properties maintained, and local law contained scant provisions to do so. Costs to maintain or demolish properties are often prohibitive for cash-strapped municipalities, especially if they’re found to contain asbestos or other toxic materials. “Towns can end up spending tens of thousands of dollars trying to get a property cleaned up,” said Moriah Supervisor Tom Scozzafava. The new legislation places the maintenance obligation on
a mortgagee as soon as they are aware of the vacancy — not after a judgment of foreclosure and sale is obtained, a process which takes a minimum of 21 months. Failure to do so will result in court action, violations and fines of $500 per day. Code enforcement officers will now be on the frontlines of determining timelines, said Essex County Treasurer Mike Diskin. “I think it’s going to be a big benefit once towns catch on,” Diskin said. Scozzafava said his community is already taking advantage of the new law. “What we do is we contact the bank or whoever holds the mortgage,” Scozzafava said. “We tell them the condition of the property, we send them a follow-up letter from the code enforcement officer and they’ve been good about coming in now.” >> See ZOMBIE HOMES | pg. 14
NewÊ VeteransÊ MemorialÊ set The new Schroon Lake Veterans Memorial was lifted into place By Lohr McKinstry
lohr@suncommunitynews.com
SCHROON LAKE – The new Schroon Lake Veterans Memorial needed a 90-ton crane to lift it into place. The 6-by-8-foot stone monument was delivered by Rozell General Contracting of Queensbury and set in place in the Schroon Town Park, where it joins other monuments. An industrial crane lowered the Lake Placid blue granite monument into place, and a metal plaque with names of veterans was bolted to the stone. The last town veterans memorial was installed decades ago, Schroon Town Supervisor Michael Marnell said, and many people felt it was time for an update. “The last one was erected in 1949,” he said. “We got Adirondack stone for the new one. We had it drilled for the plaque. The names are up to the present.” He said the Schroon American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts, and the Schroon Lake Stewart’s Shops, all donated $1,500 to the cost of the memorial. Veteran Madeline Sipe of Schroon Lake, who served in the U.S. Army during World War II, was the top collector of donations for the new Schroon Veterans Memorial. Sipe is the oldest World War II veteran in the town, and made and sold jewelry to raise the money. She turned $667 over to Schroon Town Supervisor Michael Marnell for the memorial. “Donations are still coming in,” Marnell said. “People have been generous.” The monument cost $6,000 from Cold Spring Granite of AuSable Forks, plus the charge to set it in place. The crane had to maneuver onto to the grass at the park, so the operator could pick the marble monument up and swing it onto its prepared base next to the other memorials in the park. “It looks good,” Marnell observed. “It was time to do this.”
Schroon Town Supervisor Michael Marnell watches as a crane gently sets the new Schroon Lake Veterans Memorial into place in the town park. Photo by Lohr McKinstry