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Village seeks cleanup of abandoned house

Steve Schnibbe watches Wednesday as village workers remove plywood from the front door of his unoccupied house at 139 Park Ave. in Saranac Lake so engineer Joe Garso can conduct a structural assessment of the building. (Enterprise photo — Chris Knight)

SARANAC LAKE — The village has resumed its campaign to clean up a Park Avenue house it boarded up four years ago.

Village Department of Public Works employees pulled the plywood off the front door of 139 Park Ave. on Wednesday morning so Joe Garso of North Woods Engineering could get inside and conduct a structural assessment of the building.

The village needs to complete the assessment, which homeowner Steve Schnibbe agreed to, so it can petition state Supreme Court for an order to take title to the vacant property and/or potentially demolish it.

Separately, town of Harrietstown Justice Kenneth McLaughlin has given Schnibbe until July 31 to clean up the yard around the house, which is cluttered with political campaign signs, old tents and other items many consider to be trash. If the deadline isn’t met, “the village will have to take and make arrangements to get it cleaned up, and then (the cost) will be just added to his tax roll,” McLaughlin said.

“The problem is, this is one of those deals that’s been going on for so long,” the judge said Wednesday. “Just trying to get the village and Schnibbe working together to get it cleaned up — that’s the tough part.”

The yard at the unoccupied house at 139 Park Ave. in Saranac Lake. (Enterprise photo — Chris Knight)

The village’s efforts go back at least six years. During that time, the village has cited Schnibbe for multiple violations of its 2012 Property Maintenance Law, declared the property a public nuisance and, under the “Unsafe Buildings” section of the village code, authorized village Manager John Sweeney to hire an engineer to inspect the house.

For some reason, however, the inspection didn’t happen then, and the property seemed to fall off the village’s radar screen for a time. More clutter accumulated in the yard. Franklin County hasn’t gotten involved or foreclosed on it, even though Schnibbe hasn’t paid any taxes in five years and owes the county $53,000, according to county Treasurer Bryon Varin.

“It’s been just kind of in the process; I hate to say that,” said village Manager John Sweeney.

The village took Schnibbe to town court again in June. He failed to show up at his first court date, so McLaughlin said he had to issue a criminal summons. Schnibbe appeared in court earlier this month.

“There was an agreement at court with Schnibbe, the village’s attorney and (village Code Enforcement Officer Patrick) Giblin that (Giblin) can make an entry with an engineer to check the property out for structure safety,” McLaughlin said.

The yard at the unoccupied house at 139 Park Ave. in Saranac Lake. (Enterprise photo — Chris Knight)

That inspection took place just after 9 a.m. Wednesday.

“Watch out for the raccoons,” Schnibbe called as Garso and Giblin, armed with flashlights and respirator masks, pushed open the front door of the house.

Schnibbe later joined them inside, emerging several times with old paintings and other things he said he wanted to get out of the house.

Garso and Giblin came out about 20 minutes later — sweaty, dusty and relieved to breathe clean air.

“The level of filth in the building was unbelievable,” Garso said. “The humidity level in the basement is extremely high. Everything down there is wet to the touch. There’s water dripping from electrical components and mold on all the wood surfaces.”

Notices are posted on the unoccupied house at 139 Park Ave. in Saranac Lake. (Enterprise photo — Chris Knight)

Garso said the shed roofs and additions to the house are all rotten and in “extremely poor condition,” but he wouldn’t say whether he’d consider it a structurally unsafe building until he’s had a chance to complete his report. Village Attorney Janelle LaVigne also declined to comment on the village’s next legal steps until she talks to Giblin.

Standing outside, Schnibbe said a lot of the debris in the lawn had been left there by other people. He had cleaned up about half of the front yard as of Wednesday afternoon.

“I’m going to give them until the middle of next week to enforce their Nuisance Law; otherwise the judge will have to send a truck to take all this stuff away because I’ve got no money,” he said. “People haven’t been willing to help me take it to the landfill.”

What does Schnibbe want to happen to the house?

“I want it torn down,” he said. “I’ve been trying to get it into (state) Supreme Court.”

Zoe Smith, who lives across the street, said she’d just like to see someone take responsibility for the property.

“The village went in and boarded it up and, as far as I can tell, then just walked away, and that was several years ago,” she said. “It just seems like it’s out there and nothing’s happening.”

Smith said some of her neighbors don’t have any patience for the condition of the house and the mess that’s occupied its front yard for years, but she has a different perspective.

“Honestly, I have such a soft spot in my heart for Mr. Schnibbe,” she said. “He’s just a nice guy with an interesting story. I’ve sort of overlooked it because of just who he is, except for a brief moment when things were getting bad and it was household trash and not just his stuff.”

“I know this sounds crazy, but it’s just part of the neighborhood. And it could be worse. I’d rather have that than a drug house. Certainly there are people who feel differently. For us, it’s compassion and acceptance of him. It’s not affecting our lives in any way. It just reminds me what an unfair hand of cards he’s been dealt.”

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