Farmingville, NY - On March 5, Councilman Michael Loguercio (left) was at 82 West Bartlett Road in Middle Island for the demolition of an abandoned and burned out “zombie house.” He was joined by nearby resident, Jeffrey Taylor (right), who showed the Councilman video he shot of the recent fire that caused the severe structural damage to the house. Squatters had taken over the house before the fire, resulting in numerous resident complaints and Town building code violations. The house was demolished by the Town in accordance with Chapter 73 of the Town Code which provides a “fast track” to rid neighborhoods of unsafe structures. The cost of demolition and debris removal is the responsibility of the property owner, and the Town places a lien on the property that is then placed on the tax bill. The County reimburses the Town and then they collect the money from the property owner.
Councilman Loguercio said, “If not for the quick response of six local fire departments, this fire could have spread to other homes and that would have been a real disaster. The people who live in this neighborhood work hard to maintain their homes and it was important that we remove this one to improve their quality of life. Now, this blight is gone, and I will continue to work closely with our Law Department to help identify and remove more of these eyesores from my Council District.”
Division of Public Information * Office of the Supervisor
One Independence Hill • Farmingville • NY 11738 • Phone 631-451-6595