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Berlin Planning Comm. irked by ‘derelict’ homes

JOSH DAVIS/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
A new town motto, “19th Century Charm, 21st Century Living,” was added to the council chamber in Berlin Town Hall.

By Rachel Ravina, Staff Writer

(June 20, 2019) Frustration might not be a strong enough word to express how some members of Berlin’s Planning Commission feel about the lack of remedial action on a few building eyesores throughout Berlin.

“It is an abomination,” Planning Commission Member Newt Chandler said.

That and other spontaneous observations were made by planning commission members as they discussed the dilapidated conditions of home on Williams Street and another on Franklin Avenue.

“I understand and we have given him a lot of rope,” Planning Director Dave Engelhart said of one of the owner of one property.

He added that the home on Franklin Avenue had been damaged by a fire and the owner had purchased materials to repair it, but “there it sits for an extended period of time.”

The home on Williams Street also is undergoing a renovation, but Engelhart said both structures are in a “half-done state.”

“You want Berlin to look quaint … that ain’t quaint,” Chandler said.

When asked about the property owner’s identity for the homes on Williams Street and Franklin Avenue, Engelhart said he couldn’t comment.

Also, Planning Commission Member Phyllis Purnell introduced a home of concern on the corner of Showell and Flower streets.

Engelhart said one of the heirs to the home had a permit to have the fire department burn the home, but there was a disagreement between the home’s two heirs brought the project at a standstill.

Additionally, Planning Commission member Barb Stack also mentioned two homes “that are just deteriorating” on Washington Street.

But Planning Commission member Pete Cosby, who lives on Washington Street, apparently did not feel as strongly about it, saying, “I have no problems with that derelict house across the street.”

As for the status of these houses, Engelhart said the homeowners would continue to receive notices and conversations would continue. However, it’s unclear when or whether they will be demolished.