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Fund established to bulldoze homes
 | | AWARDED...YMCA Buffalo Niagara President John Murrary congratulated Northeast YMCA's Vivan Heverley of Cheektowaga on receiving the 2006 President's Award. This award recognizes an employee whose commitment to excellence and dedication to the YMCA's mission is evident through their leadership skills, job performace and achievement of goals. |
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With more than 500 houses identified as vacant and dilapidated in Cheektowaga, town officials have identified the first three homes that will be torn down, but some residents wonder when nuisance homes will be dealt with in their neighborhoods and what will become of the vacant lots that will be left behind.
In order to knock down the homes, located at 74 Barbara Place, 155 Wellworth Place and 19 Windwood Court, the town has set aside $120,000 from its fund balance. That money was considered available because Cheektowaga's revenues from building permits exceeded what the board had estimated.
Town officials said the $120,000 will serve as "seed money" to fund additional demolitions.
"It's going to take more than $120,000 to clean up Cheektowaga," Councilmember Jim Rogowski observed.
Supervising Building and Plumbing Inspector Thomas Adamczak said that the costs for razing a structure will be added to the property's tax as a lien.
"The county has to reimburse the municipality for any lien," Adamczak added. "So we'll get that money back, and it will become a revolving account."
Town officials hope the $120,000 is enough money to demolish five homes. However, asbestos abatement and other costs may cut into that figure.
Councilmember Alice Magierski said that the housing department and code enforcement officers have identified 15 or 16 other structures as candidates for demolition.
"We have already started the process," Magierski added.
However, Supervisor James J. Jankowiak noted that simply razing a structure doesn't completely solve a neighborhood problem. He added he hopes that not all of the 500 structures will be reduced to rubble.
"Our goal is to try and bring these homes back up and put people in them," Jankowiak said. "Vacant lots don't help the Town of Cheektowaga. No one's going to buy a 35- foot vacant lot."
Many of the structures sit on small lots that are considered undesirable by builders.
Jankowiak also pointed out that a vacant lot valued at $15,000 could have $60,000 in back taxes levied against it.
"I'm hesitant to start knocking down houses until we find a plan that's going to work," Jankowiak added.
John Marriott, a member of the Town Planning Board, suggested that Cheektowaga follow the steps taken by the Town of Tonawanda. Marriott said Tonawanda has razed buildings and used federal housing money to build new homes for firsttme homeowners that reflect the neighborhood's architecture.
Cheektowaga, Marriott said, "totally blew" such an opportunity when it built several homes on the site of the former Randolph Hall.
"You have suburban-type houses that are totally out of place," Marriott said.
While the town board has taken steps to eliminate "nuisance" structures, it also gave the new owners of three homes a break on cleanup costs associated with their properties.
Waived were $200 administrative fees for two cleanups at 41 East End Avenue, plus individual cleanups at 762 Beach Road and 33 South Colby Street. The actual cleanup costs at each property remain on the tax bills.
"This in no way lessens efforts by this town to ensure property cleanup," Councilmember Jeff Swiatek said.
Several times each year the board authorizes using town employees to clean up the yards of vacant homes. The cost is then added to that property's tax bill.
However, many of the properties where the work is performed are un- der foreclosure proceedings, and when a property is purchased, the new owner is unaware of the additional costs.
Adamczak said that the problem arises from banks checking with Erie County for any tax liens, but not with individual municipalities.
Future cleanup costs will be assessed against the properties via mechanic's liens the town will file with Erie County.
Swiatek suggested at last week's work session that the administrative cost for the three homes be waived as a gesture of good faith by the town.
"These are three people who invested in our community," Swiatek said.
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