Proposed vacant building ordinance sent back for review

A new ordinance aimed at cracking down on vacant, uncared-for buildings in town needs more work.

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Published May 31, 2016 in the Rutland Herald Proposed vacant building ordinance sent back for review By SUSAN SMALLHEER SPRINGFIELD — A new ordinance aimed at cracking down on vacant, uncared-for buildings in town needs more work. The Springfield Select Board voted 4-0 earlier this week to send the so-called vacant building ordinance back to a board subcommittee for fine tuning. The vote came after the board held the second of two public hearings required before any ordinance can be adopted under the town charter. But during the two hearings, several questions were raised by both board members and the general public about key elements of the ordinance, dealing with insurance and even foundation leaks. Resident Chris Coughlin, who owns a vacant colonial building at the corner of Park and Whitcomb streets, said he was working as much as his finances and energy would allow him to get the building back into shape to rent. The building’s foundation was damaged about five years ago when a town water line broke. “My plan now is to find an agency or group that can make a higher use of the building,” said Coughlin. He questioned some of the provisions of the ordinance, and the fairness of requiring liability insurance of vacant buildings while not requiring it of any other property owner in town. Coughlin said that purchasing liability insurance for vacant buildings was next to impossible. But Stephen Ankuda, the town attorney, and a member of the town ordinance committee, said liability insurance was always available, but the cost may be prohibitive. “You can buy it, you’re just going to pay an arm and a leg,” he said. There was also the issue of “leaks” in foundations, which several people pointed out could be applied to any number of the older homes in town with stone-laid foundations. Board Chairman Kristi Morris Coughlin said his building, which is one of the oldest houses in town, and which had been divided up into apartments, would actually be better used as the home of an organization, or someone’s home. He said that he even asked the Springfield Police Department about the number of calls at his own apartment house and learned that there were 40 police calls to one address in the building and 17 calls to the other. Coughlin argued that vacant buildings weren’t always the burden on taxpayers the ordinance was making them out to be. Select Board member George McNaughton and Select Board member Walter Martone drafted the vacant building ordinance because they are the members of the ordinance committee. It was McNaughton who made the motion to send it back for more work, seconded by Martone. http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20160531/NEWS02/160539938