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General News: DPW Bldg Evacuated For Lack of C of O

Bruce Yancewicz, the village building inspector, closed down the DPW building for lack of a certificate of occupancy.
Bruce Yancewicz, the village building inspector, closed down the DPW building for lack of a certificate of occupancy.
DPW vehicles were moved to the Village Hall parking lot on Friday evening.
DPW vehicles were moved to the Village Hall parking lot on Friday evening.
February 19, 2010

The employees of the Cornwall-on-Hudson water and public works department got a surprise Friday afternoon when the village building inspector shut down the DPW headquarters on Shore Road and ordered the employees to evacuate. The problem, they soon learned, was that the building did not have a certificate of occupancy and, according to state law, it is unfit to be used.

DPW superintendent Dave Halvorsen said that he was told by the building inspector, Bruce Yancewicz, to remove personnel and equipment out of the building after consultations with a representative of the state code enforcment office and with Cornwall-on-Hudson mayor Joseph Gross. Halvorsen said that he understands that no one can find the original building plans that have been stamped by an engineer.

The DPW moved into its new headquarters on Shore Road in 2005 but a certificate of occupancy was never filed, Halvorsen said.

On Friday, evening employees moved some trucks out of the garage and on to village property on Hudson Street or to a water department facility on Palamino Road.

Chris Donato, who is a foreman with the DPW, said he was called to a meeting a 4 pm, where the employees were told to take what they need and get out. “I think it could have been handled a little more quietly,” Donato said, “as far as I can tell, the building was safe.”

Building inspector Yancewicz was not reachable for comment, but he told News from Cornwall and Cornwall-on-Hudson last month that his job is to find properties that are not in compliance with state law and then to enforce the law.

Donato disagrees with the way employees had to work overtime to comply with the sudden order. “Other than there is no piece of paper saying you can’t be there, there is nothing wrong with the building,” Donato said in a phone interview. “It is not a safety issue, no one was in danger.”

What is clear is that the trucks and employees are out of the building at least through Monday, when the matter will be brought up at the monthly meeting of the board of trustees.



Comments:

Okay, now let me see if I understand this correctly. The new building inspector shut down the DPW facility due to a lack of a Certificate of Occupancy? And this all of a sudden came to light? Sounds like someone was a fishing adventure to me. Does this mean that Mayor Joe will have to vacate his residence because he didn't receive a CO for his addition in how many years???
Again, sounds like someone was instructed to "look a little deeper" and find something, anything, to make us look good before the election!


posted by Sean Kelly on 02/19/10 at 9:59 PM

I don't understand how a village of only a few square miles has this huge building on prime real estate . I say if we cant find the drawings, bulldoze the new building then sell the property to pay off debt.


posted by J Buescher on 02/20/10 at 7:06 AM

No stamped plans, the state requires this action and people put their personal agenda forward. This is a million dollar project!


posted by Andrew Argenio on 02/20/10 at 9:31 AM

I just read the Times record and they have a story on the dpw building but it sure doesn't read the same as the editors account on this site. here is the link to the record. http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100220/NEWS/100219541

It reads that some employees complained that the building sometimes moves when its windy.


posted by J Buescher on 02/20/10 at 9:47 AM

Is the gazebo next for not having handicap access?


posted by Robert Langston on 02/20/10 at 11:00 AM

Who was the mayor when this was contructed? Who was the bldg. inspector when this was being built? Who was the contractor that built it? Who is the village clerk/dept. secretaries who are being paid to keep such records? Inquiring minds want to be sure we get the answers. Imagine the nerve of the new bldg. inpsector...doing the job we're paying him to do. How 'bout the other elected officials/village employees we paid (plus health & pension benefits) at the time of this construction project? Shame on you!


posted by susan ostrander on 02/20/10 at 8:26 PM

I ask again why did the village build a million dollar storage facility to house dpw?


posted by J Buescher on 02/21/10 at 8:02 AM

Yes the village spent over a million on this. Total cost land and the construction of the site and all buildings.


posted by Andrew Argenio on 02/22/10 at 7:39 AM

Ok, then why did we move dpw from a 20 year old building that I'm sure was sufficient for 2 square miles of village? We could of used that land for a museum or some other type of business. Yes I couldn't even imagine a home on that site, I believe its in a light industrial zone. I just think our planning was out of touch.


posted by J Buescher on 02/22/10 at 8:09 AM

It appears that from the few messages that there is a long history of poor decision making in the Village and Town over land use. There are great resources regionally to help us tackle such problems. The Open Space Institute, The Hudson River Valley Greenway and our County Planning Department. Perhaps instead of haggling voer a few parking spaces and an ice cream shop we should foster a plan for the future of our community and the natural resources around us.


posted by j h on 02/22/10 at 9:09 AM

It's all online for your reading pleasure, copy and paste in your browser:

http://cornwall-on-hudson.org/Minutes/Village%20Board/vb050602.pdf

http://cornwall-on-hudson.org/Minutes/Village%20Board/vb050707.pdf


posted by Robert Langston on 02/23/10 at 1:54 PM

Not all but enuf to see who should remember what.


posted by Robert Langston on 02/23/10 at 2:01 PM

is there dialog in the decision why the village needs this building?


posted by J Buescher on 02/23/10 at 7:12 PM

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