Select board sticks with decision regarding 'unsafe' building

The Springfield Selectboard are sticking with its original July 20 motion ordering that the fire-damaged and dilapidated property at 21-23 Valley St. be repaired and brought up to code due to it being unsafe and a threat to public health.
http://eagletimes.villagesoup.com/p/select-board-sticks-with-decision-regarding-unsafe-building/1419150

Select board sticks with decision regarding 'unsafe' building By CAMERON PAQUETTE | Sep 29, 2015 SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Selectboard are sticking with its original July 20 motion ordering that the fire-damaged and dilapidated property at 21-23 Valley St. be repaired and brought up to code due to it being unsafe and a threat to public health at a public hearing on Monday, Sept. 28. The hearing was held after property owners Donald and Jean Bishop filed an appeal to the board’s decision. The July 20 report found that “the foundation has missing sections. It is cracked and leaning and broken. The walls are missing sections, leaning, broken, and otherwise damaged. The exterior stairs, porches and balconies are missing sections, leaning and broken.” Should it come tumbling down into the stream below, the resulting flooding could wreak havoc along Main Street, according to the report. The town order instructed the Bishops to demolish the front porch and restore the building's crumbling foundation to code. Donald Bishop, along with his attorney, Richard Bowen, of Springfield, brought forward testimony from Daniel Barber, who has been a local contractor for 35 years. Barber said that a number of the issues cited in structural engineer David Hindinger’s report could be fixed in a relatively short time period. One of the major concerns — a shed that the report cited as being a major structural defect — was removed prior to the meeting with help from a contractor. “To the extent that the shed was a part and parcel for the basis of tearing down the building — that has been removed,” said Bowen. Barber said that a portion of the house is supported by stone foundation, with the rest toward the rear of the structure being supported by columns that are “upright and solid,” and that the portions of brick and cement along the outer edge of the building were put in place to “keep vermin out” and are not structurally integral. As for the rear corner of the building that the report says “visibly sags,” Barber said that installation of a CMU (concrete masonry unit) would take two hours and would support the suspended section. “As I see it, each of the issues in the report are susceptible to repair,” said Bowen. “We ask the board to consider that by taking down the shed, we have taken care of the defect.” Bowen also contended that, due to the building being used for storage and not as a living space, it did not necessarily fall under the ordinance of the town, and the proposed repairs would be sufficient. Hindinger saw things differently, stating that in order to be used as storage space, people would still need to walk in and out of the building and be exposed to safety hazards as a result — safety hazards that the proposed repairs would not rectify. “All the efforts would keep it from falling down, but it wouldn’t come in conformance,” said Hindinger. “When you walk up on the porch, there’s a section where you could just fall through … Storage presumes people would go in or out.” Board member Walter Martone asked Bowen of Barber is a licensed structural engineer, to which Bowen said no, and that “Barber is a contractor.” After 30 minutes in deliberative session, the board came back and reaffirmed their decision from July 20 — that the property is unsafe and a hazard to public health and must be repaired and certified by a Vermont structural engineer. The town attorney now has one week to get the order signed and delivered to the Bishops.