MASSENA -- Massena village trustees approved an agreement with Atlantic Testing Laboratories for asbestos project monitoring services related to the demolition of a property located at 23 1/2 East Orvis Street.

The contract will cost the village $2,541 but that does not begin to compare to the expense the village will incur to remove the blighted property.

Village trustees previously took action to condemn the property and approve its removal but that process has taken considerable time, leaving the vacant property standing in the heart of the village.

Described as a "nuisance", "health hazard" and "eye sore" by residents, trustees are now nearing the finish line to clean up the property.

Trustees first approved condemning the property during the Sept. 12 board meeting following a public hearing, saying the property is dangerous and unsafe.

Village of Massena Code Enforcement Officer Aaron Hardy previously said a number of neighbors adjacent to the property have filed formal complaints with his office, saying they are concerned about the structural integrity of the building, about the potential for it to damage properties around it, as well as trash and debris from the site.

“We’ve also found animals living in it as well,” Hardy said.

A structure fire damaged the property in 2022 and no improvements have been completed short of a partial board up of large openings, according to Hardy.

Village Attorney Matthew McArdle, who operated as the hearing officer on Sept. 12, asked Hardy if the property remained in the same condition today as it did in March 2022 after the fire.

“It’s continually getting worse,” Hardy replied.

Hardy told trustees and McArdle that he completed every requirement before recommending the property be torn down.

According to Hardy, two notices were sent to the owner on file, and a phone call to the owner’s lawyer went unreturned despite the attorney saying they would call back.

Hardy said he also completed an inspection on Aug. 7, 2023 that included a full walk around, photos of the property, photos of the interior of the property from areas that remain open and a video from the day of the fire.

Those photos and videos were submitted to McArdle and trustees to paint a picture of the extent of the damage.

As part of village code, Hardy also said the property was in violation of multiple aspects of village code chapter 120, which governs unsafe structures in the village.

Under the code, the property is violation due to extensive foundation damage, improperly distributed loads due to fire damage, inadequate sanitation, large openings due to fire damage, along with smoke damage, insufficient stairways, lack of egress, detached parts that are on the verge of falling down and other dangers that present health and safety concerns to the public and neighbors.

When asked what his recommendation would be for the property, Hardy did not hesitate.

“My recommendation is that the structure should be demolished and torn down,” Hardy said.

Trustees followed Hardy’s lead, voting unanimously to remove the structure if the owner does not bring it into compliance with village code, a feat that Hardy said will be impossible to do given the extent of the damage from the fire and the decay of the property over the last year and a half.

“This has been an issue within this community for quite some time and the neighbors would be happy to see it removed. I’m concerned this structure may not last another winter,” Hardy said.