By Karen Mahoney~Correspondent
While the Salem Town Board was prepared to issue a Raze order on a garage located at 8548 Antioch Road, owner Doreen Hardy was given more time to see if it could be repaired during the Feb. 10 board meeting.
According to Building Inspector Jack Rowland, the older garage has fallen into disrepair, and become dangerous in its present condition. Several holes are in the roof, and boards on the inside of the garage have collapsed.
“I noticed this about 45 days ago,” said Rowland, adding, “and took pictures about two to three weeks ago.
Some of this damage could have been caused by snow load, but there are other issues on the property other than the garage. There is another hole in the roof of the main house, and the sidewalk and driveway have not been maintained regarding snow removal.”
The raze order would have given Hardy 30 days to hire someone to demolish the garage or the Town would do it and place the bill on her property taxes.
During the public hearing portion of the meeting, Hardy explained that financial constraints have prevented her from repairing the garage, but she planned to restructure her finances to see if she could either afford to repair the garage or demolish and build another one.
Supervisor Kmiec suggested giving Hardy more time to determine if the garage is repairable and encouraged her to obtain some estimates to see if the project is feasible.
Hardy was to report to the Town Board at the March meeting with estimates on repairing or demolishing the garage. It is unlikely that she would be allowed to rebuild the garage in its present location, as the 1946 structure does not conform to current Town Ordinances and would require a variance to construct.