At a special Dec. 1 meeting, the Liverpool Village Board of Trustees declared the house at 107 Lake Drive “an unsafe structure” and gave 81-year-old homeowner Estelle Linehan until Dec. 15 to remove or repair her deteriorating chimney or face possible demolition of the entire structure.
The village rarely removes anyone from their house, said Mayor Gary White, but in this case the trustees acted in order to ensure the safety of the home’s occupants and their neighbors.
Earlier on Dec. 1, Linehan’s 39-year-old son, Geoffrey, who also lives at 107 Lake Drive, met with village Codes Enforcement Officer Bill Reagan to present an application for a Community Development grant of up to $10,000 for repairs. Even if the grant is awarded, it could take up to eight weeks before the work could be done.
After a court-sanctioned inspection of the property on Oct. 31, Reagan and village engineer Greg Sgromo questioned the structural stability of the 835-square-foot house built in 1910. Holes in the roof resulted in significant interior water damage and the chimney was “in imminent danger of collapse.” National Grid has shut off the home’s natural gas and the home also has significant plumbing problems, Reagan said.
Sgromo pointed out that the rear portion of the property is substantially collapsed. “A snow load could cause it totally collapse,” he said.
The unsafe declaration, which passed unanimously 5-0, gives Linehan two months to begin renovations and six months to “substantially complete” the work.
If the corrective action is not taken within those time limits, the board authorized Reagan “to undertake any and all such measures as are necessary to effectuate the removal of the structure and/or securing of the chimney, which shall include the excavation and leveling of the property and the demolition and removal of the chimney structure.” In that case, the cost of demolition would be added to the property’s village tax bill.
Estelle Linehan did not attend the Dec. 1 board meeting, but was represented by her court-appointed attorney, Robert Baska, who praised the village for its efforts to help the Linehans.
“I’ve been trying for two years to get them help to fix the house,” Reagan said. “We had a church group that was going to put on a new roof, but the homeowner canceled the work at the last minute.”
On Nov. 18, Estelle Linehan and her lawyer appeared before Village Justice Anthony LaValle because she faces multiple misdemeanor charges of violating the state building code. The case was postponed in order to give Baska time to properly represent the homeowner.
The property at 107 Lake Drive was last sold in May 1988, when it was purchased for $45,000. The single-family home has one bedroom and one bathroom and a detached garage.
