Three months after fire ravaged her Kaplan Avenue home, leaving her memories a pile of rubble and her pets lost in the blaze, Peggy Richards will see the end of her sad journey as the process of demolishing the house begins today.
According to Greenport Mayor George Hubbard, the entire process should be complete within three days, and with the holiday, be finished next week.
At last night’s village board meeting, Hubbard said after two tests, asbestos was confirmed, 16 to 19 percent on five samples of shingles. No asbestos was found on the interior of the house, he said.
The full price to demolish the house will be $46,300, Hubbard said. Richards received a donation of $17,500; the balance of $28,800 will be paid upfront by the village and put on Richards’ tax bill. A lien will also be placed on the property, giving the village first right to the amount due should the property be sold.
“We have to take it down because she can’t afford to do it,” Hubbard said.
Resident Bill Swiskey said he thought the village would end up owning the property because he believed “she can’t pay that tax bill.”
Village attorney Joseph Prokop explained that the village had a number of options, including advancing the money to pay for the contractor and putting a lien on the property.
Trustee Doug Roberts asked what the implications could be if the lien proces was appealed and Richards won the appeal. Prokop said should the board opt for a court-ordered procedure, it would add an extra layer of protection.
Safety was the primary concern, said Trustee Jack Martilotta, who said the burnt out structure is in “scary shape,” with “kids getting out of school soon.”
Roberts asked if the asbestos abatement would be safe for neighbors; Hubbard assured that it would be handled by a certified asbestos removal company
Richards, reached by SoutholdLOCAL after the meeting, said the village hadn’t accepted the results of the first $50 test and had spent $2,000 for a test with 25 different samples.
She questioned whether other village properties were subject to the same asbestos testing during demolition.
Asked for comment on the final decision to demolish the shell of her home, Richards said, “I have nothing to say that I haven’t said before. I just need it over.”
After the fire, while finding shelter at the parsonage of the First Universalist Church of Southold, Richards faced the unthinkable as the church she loved deeply was also destroyed by a raging blaze. She also found the lifeless bodies of her beloved pets in the ruins of her former home.
Richards and her partner Ken MacAlpin, along with a tenant, escaped into the frigid February night unharmed as their home burned, but were left with nothing. The community stepped forward to help, setting up a donation drive and a Go Fund Me page.
