The City of Jamestown Department of Development, Jamestown Police Department, Jamestown Fire Department, Jamestown Department of Public Works, and the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities, along with investigators from both the Environmental Protection Agency and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation inspected 1061 Allen Street, a former Crawford Furniture factory, last week, to assess the condition of the main building of the massive complex and to inventory and test suspected hazardous materials that have been found on site. The property was condemned due to imminent structural collapse caused by long deteriorating conditions as a direct result of property owner neglect. The owner, Allen Street Development, LLC, the shell corporation incorporated by Principal Owners, Patricia and former Cheektowaga Town Councilman, Richard J. Rusiniak, of Cheektowaga, has been cited several times by City Building and Zoning Code Enforcement Officer, Larry Scalise, for junk and debris, and failure to renovate or demolish, along with numerous other code violations.
Jamestown Director of Development, Crystal Surdyk, released the following statement on the situation, “1061 Allen Street has been a problem property for several years and has deteriorated at an increasingly rapid rate over the past year or so. It has constantly been cited for junk and debris, the back portion of the building is on the verge of catastrophic collapse, and there are hazardous materials and chemicals being stored in the building and scattered throughout the site. We appreciate the United States Environmental Protection Agency and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s responsiveness to this situation and will continue to assist and coordinate with the EPA and DEC as they work to complete their independent investigations. We urge the Rusiniaks to cooperate with these federal and state agencies as well as with the City.”
While the City has long standing citations for code violations against the owners of the property, they have continuously failed to comply with demands made by Mr. Scalise and the Department of Development, to bring the property into code compliance. Six appearance summons have been issued over the past two years resulting in just two court appearances for Allen Street Development, LLC, made by the owner’s son, who has no actual legal accountability for the property and has simply acted as a representative on behalf of both of his parents. After repeated no shows to court, during this two-year period, these two appearances seemed to appease the court, as Richard G. Rusiniak, assured the court that he would relay the judge’s orders to show substantial improvement in the cleaning up of the property to his parents. Unfortunately, these assurances have not resulted in any corrective action.
Surdyk states that “The Department of Development finds the Rusiniak’s contempt for our legal process and officials, blatant neglect of their obligations as property owners and their utter disregard for the Jamestown community to be abhorrent and is determined to hold these individuals accountable. The Department of Development and the City’s Legal team are exploring all legal options available to hold Allen Street Development, LLC and Patricia and Richard J. Rusiniak, accountable for their intentional and malicious neglect.
After repeatedly suffering devastating events like the Jamestown Royal Upholstery Factory fire last spring, we must take more proactive action and learn from the consequences of inaction. Let me make this as clear as I possibly can: the City of Jamestown deserves better. The City of Jamestown expects better. And the City of Jamestown and Department of Development WILL NOT continue to accept the willful neglect of our properties, of our buildings, or of our community, particularly by irresponsible out of town, out of state, and out of country speculators who have no reason to own property here, other than to prey on the people of this city. We are currently developing multiple pieces of legislation that we intend to add to our growing arsenal of blight fighting weapons. In the coming months, the Department of Development will present Rental Inspection, Vacant Property Registration, and Nuisance ordinances to the City Council Housing Committee, Planning and Zoning Boards, and ultimately to City Council for adoption. We believe that with aggressive changes to current legislation, our already enhanced code enforcement efforts, the nearly 40 combined 19-A and Zombie Lawsuits that are underway, and the vital partnerships we have and will continue to forge, we can right this ship. The bold actions we are taking to mitigate the severe hazards to public health and safety posed by the conditions of the 1061 Allen Street property will set a precedent. The Department of Development is always willing to work with property owners to achieve code compliance but for those of you who fail to honor your commitments and responsibilities, we will pursue any and all legal means necessary.”
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