Old industrial buildings off of Swan Street that weren't destroyed by arson in 2010 are being felled by code enforcement in 2015.
Tom Mancuso, current owner of what was once the Wiard Plow Factory, appeared in City Court today to update Judge Michael Del Plato on his progress toward bringing the property into code compliance after citations were issued by the City of Batavia.
The case was continued to April 17, giving Mancuso time to complete demolition of the half-dozen brick structures on the property.
The only thing that will be left of what was once one of Batavia's landmark companies will be the former office building, which is owned by Smart Design and undergoing renovation.
Two of the old factory buildings were destroyed in a fire in 2010 that was deliberately set by a 14-year-old resident of the city. (For The Batavian's complete and comprehensive coverage of the fire and its aftermath, click here.)
For decades after Wiard Plow closed up shop, the buildings were used to house several small businesses. The Mancuso family invested money to help bring in business and support those businesses, but the buildings were all vacant by the time of the fire.
Tom Mancuso still had plans for the wood and brick industrial buildings, but the fire was a big set back.
"The arson fire destroyed everything we had invested," Mancuso said. "The insurance proceeds did not cover the loss, so we came out of pocket on the fire and now we're going to be out of pocket again on the demolition."
It took some time to get the necessary demolition permits from the state, but Mancuso is through that process and a contractor is on site, preparing the property to be ripped apart beam-by-beam, brick-by-brick.
Asked how much the demolition is costing his company, Mancuso said, "Too much. More than we have."
Still, Mancuso is looking at the bright side.
"It will make the street better," Mancuso said. "It's a good thing for the community. You hope something good will come of it. For years, we've tried to find somebody to build something or do something there so we can redevelop it. We'll hope this allows something good to happen sooner."
On August 8, 2014 my wife
On August 8, 2014 my wife Cindy and I received a “VIOLATION NOTICE” in the mail from the City of Batavia for our home on Washington Avenue.
The VIOLATION NOTICE was for a tree branch from our ornamental tree overhanging the sidewalk. Branches must be no lower than ten feet above the sidewalk. Walk through the City and see how many trees owned by the City overhanging the sidewalks are not in compliance with code.
We were given 7 days to correct a violation that we didn’t know existed....or else!
Former Councilman Thomas Mancuso’s building on Swan Street burned down approximately 5 years ago. The remains of the unsightly, dangerous, and dilapidated burnt structure is still there today to be reportedly totally demolished by April.
It stands to reason that there are multiple and serious applicable code violations on the mentioned Swan Street property; including health, safety and environmental issues far in excess of our ornamental tree.
Why is it that common taxpaying citizens, as most of us are, must comply within seven days while wealthy and influential citizens, including former City Councilmen get a free pass for 5 years?
This is one of the many misplaced priorities why I will be running for City Council in the Third Ward this November.
Yea, I rented an apt. from
Yea, I rented an apt. from him and believe me, he must get a pass on a lot of things!
I really hope most it can be
I really hope most it can be reclaimed material for other renovation purposes! Such a waste if not, and such a shame the buildings couldn't be repurposed either. Another part of Batavian history lost.