07/06/76 Board of Public Works Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING JULY 6, 1976 the property owners are trying. to,protect,their neighborhood and the City should provide some kind of safeguards. Mr. Farrand said it is apparent that the real objection is the condition of the house. He said if the house was in: excellent condition the property owners would not object to the move. Dr. Pilot said it is the condition of the house that the property owners are protesting. Mr. Podell said the house is structurally sound and the termite damage is minor., He said the bank is willing to loan him the money to repair the house and they would not be willing to lend that amount of money and see it go down the drain. Mr. Mullen asked Mr. Podell the amount of the loan and Mr. Podell said it was $60,000. Mr. Podell said he is purchasing the lot from Mr. Voor. He was'asked if he owns the lot now and he said as soon as he receives approval for the move he will pay for the lot. He was asked if the purchase of the lot was contingent upon approval of the house move and he said all arangements for the purchase -of the lot have been completed and he would have paid for the lot this morning if Mr. Voor had been in his office. Dr. Pilot said Mr. Podell is under pressure because of the deadline from Osteopathic Hospital but said he did not feel the property owners should be penalized for that. Tim Lykowski, the house mover, said no one should judge the house until it has been repaired. He said Mr. Podell has the money to renovate the house and put it back into condition. He said he has moved many houses like this and when they are in positionand repaired they are a credit to the neighborhood. Mr. Brademas said when you consider the cost of moving the house and the cost of purchasing the lot most of the bank loan may have been used up and there will be nothing left to renovate the property. He said he has had considerable experience in this field and the cost of renovating the house, even if there were no termite damage, would be considerably more than Mr. Podell has available for the moving,.the lot and the renovation. Mr. Brademas said he would estimate it would cost a -minimum of $25,000 to bring the house into shape. He said there is also the possibility of damage to other structures on Devon Circle if the house is moved in because there is not a great deal of space to maneuver. Mr. Brademas said if the Board feels this house should be saved, they should give permission to move it temporarily into the closest City park and give the property owners an opportunity to have experts go over the house to determine whether or not it is infested with termites and how it should be effectively treated. Dr. Feferman said the Board should consider the effect this house move will have on adjacent property values., Mr. Farrand asked Mr. Podell if he had made any effort to solve the termite problem. Mr. Podell said no termites have been seen in the house. He said when the house is renovated, new plates and floor joists will be installed, as well as termite shields. Mrs. Lenore Cassady asked why Mr. Podell waited until the last minute to make these arrangements, if he received letters from Osteopathic Hospital on June 25 and July 1. Mr. Podell said arrangements had to be made with the utility companies and the application for a Building Permit had to be filed with the Building Department before a hearing at a Board of Public Works meeting could be set and the property owners notified. Dr. Pilot said if it were not for the fact that this is a holiday week, the hearing room would be full of irate citizens from Jefferson Street and Wayne Street. Mr. Podell said the house is considered a historic landmark and, when it is moved and repaired, he plans to ask that it be given historic landmark status. Mr. Brunner said, in view of the fact that a partner from his law firm is representing Osteopathic Hospital in this matter', he would not take part in the Board's consideration on the matter. However, he said he would urge the Board to act on the matter because the problem has been escalated by the fact that there is so little time. Mr. Brademas said he has had occasion to deal with the City of South Bend many times in his work and said it has always been required that site plans, estimates and completion schedules be filed with the City and that it usually takes about ninety days to get clearance on a.projec`t. He said he does not understand why the City does not require a site plan, specifications and a cost estimate for a house move. Mr. Brademas said the work should also be monitored every step of the way.