Almost two months after a fire ripped through a Kaplan Avenue house in Greenport, the charred remains stand, a fence surrounding the property and remnants of a couple’s home scattered in the rubble.
This week, the Greenport Village planning board denied an appeal of the notice of public nuisance made by property owner Margaret Richards for the parcel at 415 Kaplan Avenue.
The notice was served on March 11, and “directed the property owner to abate the public nuisance by completing the demolition and removal of the structure and remaining portions of the structure of the property, removing all remaining debris, properly grading and restoring the property to be in harmony and conformity with the maintenance standards of the adjacent properties.”
Richards, who has been homeless since the fire and just moved into a new apartment on 5th street, began by saying that she’d appealed because a five-day notice is served if the building was an immediate “fire hazard”; otherwise,she said, the normal time period was 21 days.
Richards said she has been waiting because an “anonymous donor” has stepped up and offered to pay for the demolition; if they do not, her bank will then pay for the demo, she said. Richards said she did not want the village to move forward with the demolition and tack the charges onto her tax bill.
Planning board members sympathized with Richards’ plight, and said how sorry they were that she’d lost her home.
“All of us feel sorry for you,” planning board member Chris Dowling said. “But the 21 days are up.”
“I don’t need pity, I need cooperation,” Richards said. “Serving me a five day notice was ridiculous.”
Planning board members then said the structure, still standing, poses an imminent threat to children who might be tempted to explore inside and to the neighboring buildings, should a wall collapse — and added that they have a responsibility to the public to address the “unsafe situation” and could not “in good conscience” grant the extension.
“All of us feel the structure is unsafe and needs to come down,” Dowling said.
“What do you want me to do, go in with a sledgehammer?” Richards asked.
She added that she needs to call to see if the anonymous person still plans to step up or else, call her bank, only two phone calls. “I’m definitely going to get it done,” she said.
Village Attorney Joe Prokop asked if it was only two phone calls, why the process was still ongoing.
Richards said she has been ill and has had a lot to contend with.
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.
Planning board member Ben Burns asked if Richards agreed that “the building needs to go?” Richards said she did, she just needed time to see if the anonymous donor would step up.
Prokop said the bank had contacted the village and a demo permit was on file with the village.
The planning board agreed to deny the application; next steps mean it would go to the village board for review at their next meeting, which would give Richards some additional time. The planning board reiterated that time was of the essence as the building poses an “imminent threat” to residents.
After the meeting, Richards told SoutholdLOCAL, “I will take care of the property, like I promised my neighbors. Not because the village bullied me. With the security fence up, my property is safer than a number of properties in the village. Our building department and village attorney need to learn how to work with people and apply code equally.”
She added that navigating the insurance process has been a challenge. Unable to pay private homeowner’s insurance, the bank issued “force placed” insurance on the home, but she said she did not understand fully the restrictions on the coverage.
After the fire, Richards said, she learned she had “no coverage of contents, no money for a rental, no money for a rebuild.” The insurance, she said, “just pays off most of my mortgage, and if the bank does the demo, that will be added to what I owe them. Other than that, I own the vacant land.”
Had she realized the limitations on the bank’s coverage, Richards said, “I might have found a way, if I had known.” She said she hopes to share her story so that others, who also might not fully comprehend the situation, might learn from her plight and she can “help someone else not make the same mistake.”
Finding a new apartment was another hurdle, she said. “It just cost me $4,200 plus a $200 electric deposit to get into my apartment. Any wonder we have homeless?”
