Renovo 14th Street Row House Hearing Continued until Thursday

RENOVO – No decision yet from Renovo’s Appeals Hearing Board on the efforts of 14th Street row house residents seeking relief in a borough condemnation proceeding.

Three hours of testimony was heard Wednesday night in the borough building. The hearing was then continued until Thursday at 6 p.m. when final arguments will be heard.

Wednesday night saw two code/engineering specialists testify in support of the borough decision to declare the 16-unit building an unsafe structure. They were the borough’s property maintenance officer Victor Marquardt and structural engineer Jeffrey Brooks.

Both detailed their September visit to the 14th Street building; they entered multiple units there as the borough posted the building as unsafe. Brooks went into detail on his report, much of it centered on the unoccupied unit at 155 14th Street. He displayed pictures which showed that portions of the second and third floors had collapsed onto the first floor. Brooks said the firewall at that unit is unstable and if it would give away, would have a “catastrophic effect” on the rest of the units.

Brooks also showed shots of the vacant fire-damaged unit at 137 14th Street. He said if not repaired, that unit will fall into further disrepair, similar to 155. He said there is a danger to the entire building because of the 155 section, noting the row houses were built some 75 to 80 years ago as part of one building with firewalls in-between each of the 16 units; six of those units are in repository status, going unclaimed for unpaid real estate taxes.
Brooks told the hearing board the borough posting “was appropriate and necessary” and said he probably would have been more aggressive, given the potential for what he called “serious consequences” because of the condition of the building.

Attorney Rocco Rosamilia is representing residents from nine of the 16 units in their appeal; borough solicitor Stuart Hall the borough. Hearing board solicitor Paul Welch conducted the hearing. After a brief sidebar with Rosamilia, Welch announced that attorneys for the two sides can state their cases beginning Thursday at 6 p.m. He noted the hearing board must “adjudicate” its decision publicly.

Should the hearing board sustain Renovo’s condemnation decision, the residents may appeal into Clinton County Court.