The vote is final: The Wiss Hotel building will come down

Tearing down the Wiss Is crazy..Here's my crazy .Rip down everything from the Wiss down to the post office.Then continue right down Mill street to the Train tressle ,up from there to the old Dargan Hotel.
From this point we can build a major league sports facilty that runs between the Oatka Creek and route 5
Call them the Le Roy losers and say It all ended with a 3-2 decision.

The place was an eye sore and a derelict wreck, besides a safety hazard. The powers to be made the correct decision.

I want to know from Mr Taylor why in a free market he is picking and choosing what building is OK to buy and what building is "wrong". That sounds a lot like a very menacing and overreaching local government picking winners and losers to me.

From Howard's reporting on the Wiss over the months, I believe the pros/cons were analyzed with enough rigor to make an informed decision. This issue was contentious enough to guarantee not everyone would be happy with the result. Others outside the LLC who were emotional about this could've joined the LLC and ponyed up some $$ to bolster their cause....but that didn't happen. So down it goes....correct decision made.

I love history and think if at all possible it needs to be preserved. At least I will always have the memories of playing the Video Game Asteroids there at the Wiss when I got off work as a gas station attendant at the old W.W. Griffith Gas station(1980 and 1981). When ever I come home on vacation I purposely drive down Main Street to relive memories and those memories are getting fewer and farther between now. I fear that soon I won't recognize the town I was born and raised in.

Don
http://www.detectingdon.com

My advice to LeRoyans is to tear your Main Street down and put up a mall as Batavia did. Then you can have visitors ask "Is that a prison you have in the center of your city?"

Don, my epiphany came when a former teacher came back for a visit after relocating to the south ten years ago after retiring. I ran into him and his wife at the McDonald's park bench. He kept saying to me (and I parpaphrase) "What is happening here? This Main Street has deteriorated so much." His comments gave me pause.

We don't see it every day, but people that have left and then come back see the decay and neglect.

We need to start somewhere and the LeRoy LLC was willing to start with The Wiss. What could be more American than that? A building in decay with a group of people willing to invest and turn it around. While I was not an investor (starving artist) I was involved with the group. The interest to invest was growing, with many individuals coming on board with so many different backgrounds and so much to offer. This was a real grassroots effort to take this project on and hopefully see it bare fruit.

For this board to not even give this group the chance I think is the real tragedy. The LLC might have failed as with all risks, but now we will never know because they were denied.

Actually the figures I ran were; $132,000 demolition price + $20,000 for the air quality study that will have to be conducted at the same time and is separate from the demo price + $4,000 for the asbestos survey = $156,000 which is 8.5 years of our current expenses on the pool, which was almost as big a fight as this was because no one wanted to spend any money on it.

An "eye sore" is a personal opinion, legitimate, but an opinion. The facts are that 2 architects, an engineer, 3 contractors, and the code enforcement officer from Batavia said it is sound and remediable, and three of them went through the building in the last 3 weeks. So, when given the choice between accepting $10,000 and returning it to the tax roles (a concrete plan) and spending $156,000 (let's hope there's no hidden costs as there are often are in such projects) the majority voted to spend. An eye sore can be fixed. A building torn down is gone forever.

Let's look at this logically. If that property were truly redeemable, the county would have never given it to the village to deal with. If that building was truly valuable, why did no one attempt to purchase it? It was for sale for a good number of years. I am glad something is being done with it. Now, let's get the state in on this, and widen the intersection.
BTW, I think that opening up the eastward view of Main St is going to be a good thing. As it sits now, there is no view of the school campus or the creek from that point.

I have a few suggestions for the Wiss supporters. If you are really willing to invest $1 million in such a high-risk project, why not take $200,000 and buy one of the neighboring properties. This would block any big-box developers and you could make improvements to the property to show what could really be done on main street. Another suggestion would be to buy the property from the village once the Wiss is down and build a smaller two story version of the building similar to the one in the pictures you have been posting.

Well, Jim, as you've stated before your building is for sale for $125,000. Maybe you'll get that sale after all.

Please excuse my sarcasm, but since when do we as a community tell others how to or not to spend their money? The only thing that should be at issue here or throughout this entire process is if it is appropriate for the village to spend tax payer dollars to demolish a building that has a legitimate purchase offer made on it or sell it and allow the market/capitalism/community to take care of it themselves.

It does appear to be clear, though, that it does not matter how many experts one has compared to people who admit to not being experts, the decisions are still made based on emotion, not fact. Ironic since that is something I have often been accused of throughout my professional life as a social worker and within this debate.

With any luck this will not deter future dreamers from coming forward as dreamers are what makes the world go around.

Bud, I feel compelled to clear this up as you are not the only one to state this in recent days (hours), the county never took posession of this building.

http://thebatavian.com/howard-owens/county-decides-not-take-risk-forecl…

The village took it over in approximately November 2011 when it was apparent that everything was stalemated. Since that time experts have been in it to state it is remediable and investors came forward.

I don't know, but it would be interesting to know, if the county sent any experts into the building when they voted unanimously that it was not worth it.

A question I have asked in the past is exactly when is a good time for people with money to step forward to take on a project such as this? I'm still waiting for an answer from anyone at all.

I was just trying to be helpful here Jennifer. I don't think you clearly understand that no matter how many experts say that building could be saved you still need a structural engineer to do an inspection under the New York State building and fire code. The building must pass that inspection before you can get a building permit. The LLC was not willing to pay for that inspection until they took possession of the building.

Oh My God Jim, don't do it man !!!! Don't go throwing out FACTS like that !! I've tried and no one would listen. Both parties are at fault for not getting this done at some point. Had a structural inspection beeen done, the debate would be over. Instead we'll never know if the Wiss was salvageable or not until the demolition is done. The cart was put before the horse.

Jim, there was never an attempt to even negotiate that part. If it was part of the issue in voting against selling then it could have been addressed.

Thank you for your help. I don't want to speak for the LLC as I am not a member, but my observation is that it would be more helpful if you were in support of preserving Main Street than against.

Jennifer, I am employed by the LeRoy historical society. Just because I want to see a building that is both a health hazard and a fire hazard be demolished does not mean I am against preserving Main street.

Howard, what does not make sense is buying a property especially a distressed property without having an inspection done before the purchase. If something is wrong then you can walk away and cut your losses.

Good point.

In my opinion, what doesn't make sense is not giving it an opportunity to succeed instead of assuming that it will fail. Just a different way of looking at things. There is a lengthy history of standing in the way and assuming failure. If I did that as a social worker I would no longer have a job. I also would be bitter rather than cynical and probably live on a mountaintop by myself with my dogs.

Dreamers are what makes the world go round.

Jennifer, I forgot to mention that it was my administration that got the $250,000 New York Main Street grant.

Fact, there was a legitimate offer on the table to purchase from invested people who were willing to negotiate.

Fact, it was deemed stable by people who are experts and who were also invested in making the project work.

Fact, this could have been resolved as early as last November.

Fact, instead of negotiating or accepting the LLC's offer a vote to expend tax payer dollars to demolish was successful.

Fact, that demolition vote was for demolition without asbestos abatement.

Fact, as long as there are no more hidden costs at the current rate we pay as village tax payers the money that will be spent to demolish is the equivalent of what we will spend on the pool for 8.5 years.

Fact, there is no plan for what comes next.

Fact, in the past the comprehensive plan has been ignored.

Howard, Thanks for your great coverage throughout this whole process. Having worked as an AmeriCorps volunteer for the past three years, I learned firsthand what it is like to work in a restored 1830's building. It is with great sadness that I learn about the village board decision to demolish the Wiss and destroy the possibility of what it might have become. I still fail to understand how the board can forego a reasonable offer for the Wiss and instead choose to waste taxpayer money to create a vacant lot destined to shrink in size as a result of a DOT lien with no reasonable plan of their own despite having three years to come up with one. The only rationale offered was that this was the right thing to do. I think we are at least owed an explanation of why this is the right thing to do and what the board plans. The board plans to START thinking about a plan. I think it is a little late for this. I am grateful that we have two thoughtful and reasonable village board members who were willing to give private enterprise a chance to turn around the deterioration of Main Street. Too bad an election is not anywhere near. In my opinion, the best interests of the village are not being served by this board.

IF the LLC had taken ownership of the Wiss, and IF it failed the engineering study, what would the LLC have done with it? Was the village worried about it getting abandoned
again?

Ah I see. If I read that correctly, it's sounds like the village would have been back on the hook to pay for the demolition if it had been deemed unsaveable. Would the LLC have been responsible during that time if something happened, like someone getting hurt there? Or would that have been on the villages shoulders as well?

Lets be honest about this Howard, your creation of The Batavian has provided a forum for debate that this region never had before.

Let alone the closest outlet of true jounalism that I have ever seen. All sides are reported on and allowed to state their sides equaly. Factual reporting is all I ever wanted out of a news outlet. The Batavian is the only place I have found it.

Opinions belong right there they are here, in comments section, not the news article.

Thank you Howard for your service to the region.

Everyone take this as it is intended, I have no reson to kiss a dark and unsanitary place. 3 cheers for The Batavian!

There were provisions in each offer to address this. They were put in with consultation from the village's attorney. So, those who voted to demolish could have still been worried about this, but it was addressed with no further mention and again, the LLC was willing to negotiate to address concerns brought forward.

Yeah, what he said.

Howard has it right. He's been following and reporting on this accurately.

Again, yeah, what he said.

I want a nice brick to remember the building!..There should be a way to sell some bricks and then donate $ to a charity?

Sorry Douglas, no bricks, it's a wooden building.

The brick is a facade, Doug, but there was concern that some might fall off, so maybe you could actually get one.

Sad. It seems like government forcing their will again, without letting the community decide. Sounds like a good representative government to me.

I think it's hysterical that when a private group wants to try and save something, not a government agency, they were rebuked. I've read this all right along, and I have not heard one good argument to not allow the group to try.

It sounds like the will of the few is more important than the many.

Again, sad. And the best about all of this is, there is no plan to make the space functional.

What a joke.

Did you miss the quote about making it into a park with picnic tables Phil? I can think of nowhere I would rather go for a nice picnic than the corner of routes 5 and 19 with the lovely view of Walgreens.

Come on Beth, you can count the passing cars and trucks while relaxing to 'Accelerating Sounds'

Jennifer, I hope you still feel the same way about the community not telling others how to spend their money when a developer offers me three times the amount for my building than it's worth.

It's supposed to be a tourism draw in Batavia, so why not something similar in LeRoy?

http://www.ipgf.org/gardens/go.asp?siteid=batavia1812

Howard, Walgreens does conform to the village standards; if it didn't, it couldn't have been built. Walgreens is a valuable asset to the village; it supplies jobs , tax revenue, and needed services for people like me who walk instead of drive everywhere. It replaced buildings that were no longer viable and that no one wanted. This is the current problem with other buildings, not only in LeRoy but other villages. People want to talk about these buildings, but they don't want to buy them or take care of them before they become unsafe. The Wiss had been in obvious decline for many years.

No, I won't "feel" the same way, but it really won't matter will it because free enterprise dictates you get to sell.

Unfortunately, that really is the bottom line isn't it?! The corner will be open so now a developer can come in and destroy Main Street because our community has a history of not following the comprehensive plan.

New development belongs on the outskirts, not on Main Street. If you read my blog you would know that I have thought that way since I was a toddler, that's not likely to change. Main Street can IN FACT be fitted to meet needs in it's current state. In recent weeks I have been to Geneseo, Mt. Morris and Angelica. In recent months I have been to Brockport and Perry. It's mind blowing that successful examples of this type of revitalization in our area abound yet "we" "can't" do it here.

And really isn't that what the vocal majority have said all along? They want the Wiss saved, but barring that they want to know the plan and they want it to be in keeping with the quaintness of our Main Street.

Once buildings are torn down they are gone forever!

I'd like to point out that, while we clearly don't need one because we have a lovely local coffee shop, Starbucks is a gigantic corporation that does NOT demolish, instead they take over what is already there and fit it to their needs. When has anyone every been in a newly built Starbucks which wasn't a kiosk inside a larger store (BTW: they are only loosely affiliated with the corporation)?

Others could do that if they so chose to.

Jim, The Village Comprehensive Plan states that new builds should comply with the surrounding area. That building is built back from the corner with parking in front. That is not in compliance with what the community wants.

Nice job Howard on covering this event. Having grown up in Le Roy, I remember what a pretty little community it used to be. The worst thing that happened there was that ugly McDonalds stuck right in the middle of everything. An eyesore and nutritional nightmare for the community. One would think preservation of the face of the village would be the primary goal of every member of the community. If people were willing to invest in the Wiss, with no loss to the village, why on earth not let them try? Looking in from the outside, it appears that a few people did not ever want them to succeed. Maybe jealousy played a roll in everything? The human factor may have been at play here? Two things for sure in the outcome of all this. Politics over peoples' will, once again and an ugly vacant lot stuck in a prime location for years to come, no doubt because of lack of a plan for the spot. I agree with Jennifer that there are some beautiful little villages that have preserved their main streets. The wife and I have been to most of them and it gives you such a warm feeling of being transported back in time.Unfortunately, that will never be the case for Le Roy. I agree, the proposal to restore the Wiss was a lost cause from day one. Closed minded people with their own ideas on how things should and would go down. It is impossible to find logic where there is none! It will be interesting to see who benefits in the end from tearing down the Wiss. My guess is, it won't be Le Roy, as a village. RIP ol' main street.

The point was made above that "what a great place to put a park and have a picnic, with all the passing cars". The same applies as far as living there in my opinion. Who in their right mind would want to live on that corner, much less someone who could afford a "high end" apartment. Also if the village would have been back on the hook to demolish it IF it failed the engineering study, what advantage is there for the town to wait? Usually a buyer has those inspections done before purchasing a property, not after. In theory the demolition would cost more in the future. I would be interested to know the rental rates and occupancy of the rental properties in the area around that intersection, as there are a lot of them.

Dan,
a.) just because you wouldn't want to live there does not mean that others won't.
b.) even if it was the public's business what is done with a privately owned building it needs to be stated that the latest discussions from LLC members at Village Board meetings have been around office/business space instead on the upper floors.
c.) the advantages to the Village of letting them try are 1.) it creates an open and friendly community where people will want to come and invest instead of a community afraid to voice their opinions and creativity because they will be shot down, 2.) WHEN it did succeed then the Village did not have to spend precious tax payer dollars to demolish a building and could instead spend it on much needed infrastructre and sewage treatment upgrades.

Please, NO. If I wanted to live in Henrietta I would. I traded easy access to the greatest grocery store on earth (that is all local money, BTW) to live in a gorgeous community with amazing architecture.

Dan, you won't get a straight answer to any of your questions here. See comment #17. Most people making comments here don't understand the New York State Building and Fire Code and how that would have made the LLC's plans impossible to carry out.

Dan, you won't get a straight answer to any of your questions here. See comment #17. Most people making comments here don't understand the New York State Building and Fire Code and how that would have made the LLC's plans impossible to carry out.

Right...

Straight answer: buildings like this and in worse shape are successfully rehabbed every day all over NYS and the country.

But, of course if this building is purchased by the LLC and rehabbed then no developer is going to come and pay you the big bucks you mentioned above.

If the Wiss was in worse shape it wouldn't be standing. Jennifer would you please identify one building in New York State that had red placards on it that has been successfully rehabbed and under what circumstances that happened.

Jim, just my opinion, but all of a sudden , I think your passion is linked to your wallet.

That must be it Frank. That's why I served three years as a village trustee, four years as a mayor, past president of rotary, past president of the LeRoy business council and invested over $300,000 in Main St. , because I don't care about the community. I have had three offers from developers since I have owned that property. The high offer was $425,000. If I was thinking about my wallet I would pull that property from the market right now and wait for the developers to come as soon as the Wiss is down, but instead I'm offering it to anyone in the community that wants to buy it for about one fourth the price that I was offered.

"This is the current problem with other buildings, not only in LeRoy but other villages. People want to talk about these buildings, but they don't want to buy them or take care of them before they become unsafe."

Oh my gosh, I can't believe I missed this the first time around. Jim, the current situation in other communities actually is that people ARE renovating and keeping up their buildings. Goodness have you missed the referrences to very close communities you can visit to see the work? Heck, you can even visit both Cuba's and Perry's Main Street renovations on Face Book.

Oh, and, by the way a group of someones has been trying to by the Wiss to do exactly what you say here since last November.

That implies that the walls and foundation are already caving in. We live in NYS you can drive pretty much anywhere in the North Country, or even the depths of any rural county, to see buildings in far worse shape that haven't completely caved in yet. Perhaps you should follow one of my many boards devoted to derelict architecture on Pinterest.

Aside from that, a lifelong rehab junkie like myself watches reno shows that show this, follows reno successes in news papers and online, and watches them in real life. In Ontario county on country road and the road where the BOCES in Stanley is on there is a completely wood structure (no tin or brick facades to protect it) that had caved in roofs and collapsed porces. I began dreaming about this house as a child. It had been empty for 20-years already by then. About 10-years ago someone completely renovated it and made it inhabitable. There was a house near it on Country rd 4, same thing. I work in Rochester. I see houses and brick structures that have been empty for decades, without roofs, boarded windows on the first floors and open windows on the higher floors, that get rehabed and turned into gorgeous buildings.

Or, we could just continue down the path that was established ages ago. If you were listening to the people around you, you would hear that they don't want to do so. The save our history people turned out in record numbers, more than even pool supporters, at the Village Board meetings. They are not actually invisible, no matter how hard people try not to see them.

To: Jim Delooze one building in NYS that was Red Placarded and rehabbed? The Masonic Temple in Ithaca NY, the Ithaca State Theater as well. . There are also several houses on Fraternity row on the Cornell Campus that were condemned and slated for demo I happened to be involved with and lived in one of them AND still have pictures, all were scheduled for demo then bought and rehabbed as well.... I found the articles on the Cornell Houses and The State Theater in case you feel like disputing it.

Is that enough examples for you Jim?

http://www.ithaca.com/news/article_2ae5cc98-eac7-11e0-b9e5-001cc4c03286…
http://www.stateofithaca.com/statetheatrehistory.html

So after reading your comments I guess you can't identify one building with red placards that has been rehabed?

I can say that 140 College Ave, and Ithaca State Theater and the Ithaca Masonic Temple were all condemned and red placarded..... whats the point your making? The same officials had also green lighted Love Canal as being ok for residential zoning and we know how that turned out dont we?

I would also like to thank Howard. I know I have not been vocal until the last meeting, but I was one of the original investors who paid Rick to work with us. Jennifer has been invaluable to this community throughout the process, keeping us up to date with information. One of my biggest complaints is that the 3 board members who voted for the demolition don't seem to be true representatives of the community, since the majority of people I have spoken to and have listened to and have read comments from are all shaking their heads like Bobble head dolls in disbelief. Once again. Just like when all of a sudden, Walgreens was going to appear on our other street corner. How did it happen?! Another power play by local govt good old boys. This is not a gender-biased remark. It is a statement of fact. Thank GOD the Mayor and Jennifer had the gumption to stick this out. What was Jim Bonaquisti referring to when he said he'd be happy to see the Church when he is out walking the pavement as he seems to do constantly? I have no problem seeing the steeple of the Presbyterian Church from any direction. Since he is Catholic, does he mean he will look forward to seeing Our Lady of Mercy Parish if the Wiss is torn down? Or does he know something about the structure that is planned to be built there that no one else knows or is telling. All very stinky like 3 day-old fish.

I wish that so many voices had made comments, as has been done here, publicly when The future of The Wiss was hanging in the balance. Not enough members of our community attended Village Board meetings on the subject, or on any subject that I've seen, except on whether or not to accept Monroe County Water. Le Royans by and large do not speak up, and that's our duty as citizens. Le Roy has had opportunities to improve our creek bank, our signature view along Wolcott Street in Le Roy, yet a very few people came out in support of accepting a matching grant to do it. The response from the Village leaders at the time was that we couldn't possibly come up with the money for the match. Yet, now the Village coffers have apparently $250,000 in them, and the Village Board majority is only too willing to spend a large portion on it to tear down one building. And this is on to deconstruct our village, and not to build it up. We almost lost the Le Roy public pool (we did lose it for three summers denying kids in particular the opportunity to swim and to enjoy swimming) and it is clear that the powers that be did not actually go to the pool and assess what it needed or didn't need, or they wouldn't have closed it. Fortunately, in this case, we have some Le Royans who would not let our pool remain closed without bringing the facts to light. In 2008, Le Roy Village government decided to cower and duck and erase many of the potential gains to our village such as old fashioned street lights, every other light on Main Street, even when they had already been delivered. And why? Because apparently our Village leaders didn't know that the plan was to put the old-style lights every other light. I was at a Village Board meeting where this was not understood and the concern was that it would be too dark on Main Street with the old lights. Batavia has the old lighting and is it too dark there? And the other reason for returning the old-style lighting was the Village government didn't want to pay for the wiring! I was at the meeting. Yet we have all of this money in our coffers now. There were plans to use in-kind services to fund much of the match to accept the NYS Parks Grant to revitalize our creek bank. It all comes down to a lack of initative from Village leaders to research the condition of the pulic pool (built to last another 40 years before any improvement there), a lack of initative to listen to the former Village government who got the Park's Grant for the creek bank to know how that could work, and a lack of initative to listen to the former Village government to know how the old-style lighting would work on Main Street. There is very little continuity between one adminstration of Village government and the next. And there was a lack of initative to see the current Village government all working together to see if the Le Roy, NY LLC plan could at least better The Wiss if not reach all of its goals for its redevelopment. The problem in Le Roy on a governmental level, is that Republicans and Democrats cannot put aside their loyalty to party and work together with any vision for what we have in Le Roy and how we can maintain it and improve it. Some are more interested in carrying on a partisan fight, and seeking retribution for perceived slights, than for working for what's in the best interest of Le Roy. The Wiss debacle is just another example of this.

I actually don't believe that the Wiss vote was partisan, Doug, but you are right about partisan bickering in LeRoy. It can be very destructive.

I actually am just plain dumbfounded by the three no votes and everyone who I talk to feels the same way. If there was money for a poll, I would love to see what the will of the community really is and I would wager money that it would overwhelmingly tip to the side to sell to the LLC. Maybe Howard can put up a poll here.

I go back to what Chris Hayward said a few weeks ago. We used to be a community that did positive things and we pulled together for the perceived good of the community. Now we have morphed into a community that says "no" to everything. We said no to our community pool, we said no to the creekbank grant project, we said no to the lighting, we said no to Pete McQuillen's housing development for seniors. Now we said no to the Wiss. That's a lot of negative energy and way too many battle lines are being drawn.

While it's too late for the Wiss, I hope that LeRoyans will now speak up forcefully (as they did for the pool) and let this board know the destruction of our Main Street is unacceptable.

Thank you to each of the people who were able to provide exact addresses and buildings for Jim.

Here's where I should remind you that three of the experts went through the building hours before the red signs went up, but then you'll say it wasn't good enough because of the other study that needed to be done. Then I'll say that the LLC started this battle in August with an initial purchase offer in November and you'll say "so". Then I'll remind you that more people for the sale came out than those against and you'll pretend that didn't happen.

This discussion is going in circles.

Where there is a will there is a way.

Your argument here has provided a great deal of information to support the conspiracy theorists. Thank you.

"Complacency never achieved your goals"

Someone needs to consult the village or town charter. If enough signatures can be gathered maybe a community vote can be forced. This is the level that we the people have the most influence and if we let our local Govt just roll over the wishes of community then we have no right to complain about what or how they do things. Seems simple to me.

Jennifer and Kyle, I read through your examples but nowhere did I see anything about red placards. I think you are confusing the red placards with building condemnation; they are not the same. The placards don't mean the building is condemned, but it does place certain restrictions on the structure which I will explain in a second.

I believe the intentions of the LeRoy New York LLC are to pool local resources, both financial and labor, for a share in the company. It's a good idea but, as Trustee Taylor stated, it's the wrong project. He couldn't be more right for the following reasons.

Under the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code, in order to rehab a building with a red placard, you must:
1. Start the project within six months of the date of possession of the building.
2. Complete the project and obtain a certificate of occupancy within one year of the date of possession of the building. (If these timelines are not met, the building is demolished).
3. Hire a New York State licensed professional (registered architect or professional engineer) to do an evaluation and develop a remediation plan.
4. Hire licensed contractors. All people doing work in the building must be submitted in writing to the code enforcement office. No one else will be allowed in the building (no volunteers, no in-kind service). This would elevate the cost of the project to the $2.5 to $3 million range which I explained at a village board meeting.

Performance bond; (This has nothing to do with the above law)
Performance bonds are issued to qualified contractors only, not to well-intentioned groups. There are many requirements for a performance bond, but the most important is the contractor demonstrate that he can finish a project by showing a minimum of three examples of completed projects of equal or greater magnitude of the project the bond is being applied for. Bonds are issued for the total cost of the project not for arbitrary amounts.

Finally, I would like to wish the Le Roy New York LLC and all the Wiss supporters good luck in your future endeavors. I sincerely hope you will keep your organization together and find a project on Main Street and prove to the community that your idea can work.

This is my final post on this subject!

I regret spelling 'initiative' wrong in my post. Once you start a post, there's no spell-check available to proofread. This is a very partisan village, and one that by and large does not as citizens come forward in any great numbers to say what it wants.

"Under the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code, in order to rehab a building with a red placard, you must:
1. Start the project within six months of the date of possession of the building.
2. Complete the project and obtain a certificate of occupancy within one year of the date of possession of the building. (If these timelines are not met, the building is demolished).
3. Hire a New York State licensed professional (registered architect or professional engineer) to do an evaluation and develop a remediation plan.
4. Hire licensed contractors. All people doing work in the building must be submitted in writing to the code enforcement office. No one else will be allowed in the building (no volunteers, no in-kind service). This would elevate the cost of the project to the $2.5 to $3 million range which I explained at a village board meeting"

Just so everyone knows this is in fact accurate information. The cool part of this is that the LLC was aware of this and on board with it. Number 3 is the best one because they already hired Rick Hauser who is a licensed professional architect who already evaluated it and developed a plan. Number 4 is awesome too because 2 such licensed individuals were already on board AND there assessment was still less than yours in cost!

You were there on Wednesday night so you know the motion to accept their proposal was made contingent upon a $500,000 performance bond.

Thank you for making the argument as to why it should have happened!

They tried to prove to the community that it would work and the community has overwhelmingly supported it!

It seems to me, though, that none of this truly matters because the bottom line is that this was a decision to expend tax dollars versus earn revenue. The way I see it everyone who supported the idea to spend money believes that the government and the community has a say in what an individual or group wants to do with their property.

I agree with that, the 140 College ave bldg that I was involved with was red placarded, yet we file for extentions and complete excavated the entire property to reinforce the foundation and discovered that it sits on the bedrock and space for the foundation was excavated from the hillside it was in. So claiming that it is impossible is as erroneous as can be. Rehabbing is a very commonplace thing. There are buildings that end up demolished but as I'm sure that Jennifer can attest to. There are businesses that salvage and make available archeticural parts of these buildingd, everything from toilets to stained glass and odd shaped windows. Wrought Iron and 10' tall doors as well. Rochester and Ithaca both have large stores for this. So it's not such an impossible task. Anyone who read about 140 college ave and wants to see before and during pics of the renovation, just contact me @ kylec68@yahoo.com and I'd be gland to share, just put 140 College Ave in the subject line.

Either way, tax dollars would be expended. The only difference is that instead of it coming from local tax dollars, it would have been split between State and Federal in the form of sizable personal tax credits for the LLC investors.

Rather than try to paraphrase how it works, read Rick Hauser's blog post on the topic (scroll down to the Tar and Feather post):

http://insitearch.com/blog/category/architecture_matters_column_hauser/

The Historic Register program offers tax incentives which is really no different, in principle, than what the GCEDC does...and I believe that taxpayers are entitled to have a say in the matter when tax dollars are used.

I just find it really funny that the residents don't have a say at all. Why is it so hard in this state to let taxpayers vote on issues like this?

I mean so far I've heard a few voices saying take it down, but yet a group wanting to try and keep it, a long with a lot of supporters.

So was there ever anything done to ask residents?

Jennifer,
In response to your post to me:
A) Would you live there? Yes or no?
B) I feel it is the public's business what happens with a privately owned building in this case. Why? Because if it fails for any number of reasons the liability falls back on the tax payers to tear it down. As I see it "letting them try" is nothing more than a village issued insurance policy for the LLC. If success is a sure thing which you have implied, the LLC should have made an out right purchase offer, no stipulations. Or at a bare minimum had the required engineering study done. As you have said, it was savable, so it would have passed the inspection right?

The point has been made by many on here the decision doesn't reflect what the people of the village want. Other than on this page, this thread of comments I have yet to hear one person say we need to save that building. Everyone I have talked to thinks it was the right decision. The results of a village vote would be very interesting in my opinion. As a life long LeRoyan, like Mike Tucci, Bob Taylor and Jim Delooze I don't share your opinion that this decision will make us a community afraid to voice our opinion. That statement is absurd quite frankly. The village's future does not hinge on the wiss hotel's survival. It would be a sad state of affairs if it did.

Is there a way that the board's decision can be challenged, or some kind of appeal process? It seems crazy to me that this decision was made without a structural inspection being done. That said, If I were forced to wager on whether the building passed said inspection, I would have to bet that it would not. At least the third floor anyway. However, that's nothing more than an educated guess on my part, depending on where the roof leaks are located and where and if the water infiltration has acutely affected load bearing members.

It's too bad we'll never know what the building could have looked like when complete. It probably would have looked great in it's original wooden clad form, with the ugly split brick facade gone and the tin removed.

One more thing- Above I noticed that Mr. DeLooze's position/ motivations have been called into question due to his potential monetary gain. Well let me ask this: Was Mr. Hauser offering his services for free, or did he stand to profit if the LLC had taken control, and were his opinions on the stability of the building formed, at least in part, because he would have been hired by the LLC ?

A.) Yes. I have stated that before, though not here.
B.) That is true for every building/business/home that fails and goes unsold. If they are vacant for what seems like ages, it becomes the government's responsibility, just as it did here. There are many municiplaties throughout the state (and country) that have developed systems for taking such properties quicker and turning them over before they get to the point the Wiss has or worse.

A village vote would be very interesting as here, at Village meetings, on the Wiss Hotel FB page, on the Main Street Revilatization FB page, in emails that I've seen, and the conversations people initiate with me as I walk around the support to sell has been overwhelming.

I do not think that this vote makes people afraid to voice their opinion; my observation is that it makes them wonder why they should as it appears to them (as voiced to me) that it is a waste of time.

I don't know that I can really answer that question for Rick Hauser, but what I do feel comfortable stating is that the success of the LLC does not hinge on the Wiss, it was the catalyst. He had not been hired to do more than put together a feasibility study, nor had he been promised to do more. He is; however, as he has stated several times invested in the future of our Main Street because it is who he is, just at it is who I am.

Also, I suppose that if another architect, 3 contractors, an engineer (the Village's own engineer in fact) and the code enforcement officer from Batavia, all of whom have been through it more recently than Rick Hauser didn't agree with him, then it would make sense to question his motives.

I suppose really anyone's motives could be questioned about anything.

Could I just add without being crucified, there is nothing wrong with being a lifelong Le Royan. There is also nothing wrong with being a "newcomer". I pay my taxes. I volunteer through a ton of committees. My children go to this school. The same is true for the Kemps referenced above and many of our friends. Out of curiosity why is the lifelong Le Royan part so important? It is as if to say the rest of us do not count. Or at least that's what it sounds like to us. Just a thought, again at the risk of being crucified here. :)

Also, what about all of the lifelong Le Royans who are in support of selling it to the LLC. I know I can be dense, but I seriously don't get what that has to do with this discussion.

I just realized I didn't answer part of what you were asking. I apologize.

Yes, it should have not had a problem. Without a guarantee to purchase why would the LLC want to expend the money for the inspection? That's just ludicrous. As stated before, they are reasonable individuals and I'm certain this could have been worked out. They tried negotiating in good faith since the beginning of November. Any stipulation that was brought forth was addressed. If there were others, then whey weren't they also brought forth.

Howard, I was wondering why no one bothered asking Mr Taylor, Mr Tucci & Mr. Bonaquisti if a structural analysis was done and proved that the building/structure was feasible(and if the LLC would be willing to pay for the analysis, like potential homeowners do when potentially buying a house)then they could have sought an injunction(after all, there were 2 lawyers involved with the LLC )to ask for more time to gather more donors/partners to try to move the project forward. You really can't say for certain if the three trustees would have still voted for demolishing the Wiss without anyone asking them......the LCC had plenty of opportunities to ask that question but never did. And why, after the building sat in-active for what, 6 yrs or so, no one bothered to purchase it when it was closed by the previous owners? And this doesn't mean other buildings are going to come down......about 20-25 yrs ago our US Post Office was in jeopardy of being torn down because it was deemed too small and in-efficient, but some LeRoyans'(notably the late Miss Jenny Vitale)mounted an organized opposition to demolishing what is probably in my opinion, the crown jewel of architectural(along with the St. Peter and St. Marks churches') structures in LeRoy.

Michael, I can tell you that because I wanted to see it succeed I asked what it would take to make them feel comfortable and they did not answer me.

In reference to why wasn't it purchased before, I wonder if people have been discouraged in the past from purchasing it because "it is beyond repair".

The bottom line: a building that could have been renovated, returned to the tax rolls, providing living and business opportunity will be torn down, resulting in a public-owned vacant lot suitable for park benches, Pansy-planters and perhaps a historical marker- 'Site of the former Wiss Hotel, early stage-stop on the Iroquois Trail.' This is how development is arrested; one building at a time. The only merit being profit for a demolition company and a wider road to accommodate tankers of Pennsylvania fracking-waste chemicals destined for NY landfills. 'Nice play- Shakespeare!'

Jennifer,

I made the life long LeRoyan comment, not as a personal jab towards you, I don't know you or your personal history. My point was that knowing those people, that have also lived here their entire life and I'm sure they aren't looking to tear the village down. Jim has made the point many times of the things he has done to preserve Leroy, I think his record speaks for itself. As for your point that many other buildings become government property and are sold so they don't end up like the wiss, yes that is true, but they are sold as it, take it or leave it. This very easily could have ended right back in the villages hands in a short period of time, and need to be torn down ASAP. Like I said, just "letting them try" is nothing more than a village issued insurance policy. And to your answer that "Yes" you would live there, I'm sorry I don't buy it. "If I wanted to live in Henrietta I would" So why would you move to the noisiest, busiest intersection in town? I know, the idea changed to office/retail space. This is all really pointless now, it's coming down like it should have long ago!!!!

Also, I don't think it's ludicrous to think that they would have it inspected before buying. People spend money everyday have property inspected before buying it. It's pretty much standard procedure. Yes I realize due to the it's condition, the inspection of the wiss would be very costly but that's the cost of doing business if people want to invest in that type of building.

Howard, as for your "As for why nobody purchased it prior -- asked and answered in previous comments" - that may be true, but I'm talking about this thread, and quite honestly, I can't find it anywhere in yours or anyone else's comments in this thread. I do know Mr. Tom Spadaro had made an offer in the RECENT past, but up to that point, I don't believe anyone else had done so until the LLC in the 11 hr. I don't think I mentioned anything in regards to problems putting something on a smaller site because of the DOT issue with the right of way. My point was and it seems we disagree on is, when the WISS is torn down, it will have no bearing(coming down and starting a domino effect) on the other existing buildings....as long as they are structurally sound that would be a non-issue.

Thank you, Dan. I apologize for misconstruing what you said. I hear that comment all of the time and don't really understand it. It's kind of dismissive, but I see how you are applying it here varies from how I usually hear it.

The LLC was willing to take the building as is.

Other buildings in the same situation could very easily also be turned back on the tax payers.

I said I wouldn't live in Henrietta, but I would and did live for 14-years in Rochester. It's about aesthetics and convenience. You are correct, though, the point is moot on many levels already discussed.

The reality of this matter, take it or leave it, is that free enterprise, commercialism, and private property are now all that prevent the future destruction of Main Street. It is naiive to say it is one meaningless building.

There is one more thing that can prevent the further destruction of Main Street, people, people holding their boards (planning, zoning, village, all) to the comprehensive plan. Complacency never achieved your goals.

Magazine Street in New Orleans compared to Main Street in LeRoy?
Let me start by saying I was mayor of LeRoy when Walgreens was built, and I am very proud of the fact that I was a key player in bringing it here. The Walgreens you see on the corner today and the initial developer plan are two vastly different things. There were many people in LeRoy who worked very hard negotiating with the developer to get the plan to where it is today. The developer was willing to negotiate but only so far. As far as community standards and the master plan you and Jennifer keep referring to, according to New York State it doesn't exist. Andrea Barber and I went to the New York State Mayors' Conference in 2004. At that conference, state officials stated that if your master plan has not been updated in the last 5 to 7 years then you don't have one. Ours was last worked on in 1991.

Howard, what you don't seem to realize is that LeRoy has a very low median income, and we can't always have everything just the way we want it. Businesses have models and business plans that allow them to project their ROI ( Return on investment ). What a developer is willing to spend in a LeRoy is much different than what they're willing to spend in a Fairport where the median income is approximately 3 times that of LeRoy's. At the same time LeRoy was negotiating with Walgreens, Fairport was too. In the end, Fairport put too many demands on the Walgreens developer and they walked; I was not about to let that happen here.

This is a good time to state that I was born and raised in Fairport, a community that constantly wins awards including "Top 100 Communities to Live In" in the United States, but I now live in LeRoy and there is no other place on earth I would rather live. Is it perfect ? No. I would love to have one of the Wegmans like the three that surround the house that I was born in. Would you like to guess why there are no Wegmans in Genesee County? After all, we do shop for groceries here too.

Bottom line: money talks, BS walks.

Jim why dont you tell us why there are no Wegmans in genesee county and stop making allusions?

Kyle, I guess you just don't get it. See above, ROI.

Jim your previously stated that Walgreens met the village standards implying that they met the master plan. Now you tell us the master plan is non existent as deemed by NYS. So what village standards are you talking about? Never mind guess the board makes it up as it goes.

I don't understand what Fairport being one of the best communitys in the US to live in has to do with you unless you were mayor there. At least they were smart enough to keep Walgreens from ruining that.

You won we lose no need for you to keep trying to justifying your position besides you said you were done posting on this subject.

You're really starting to confuse me.

Community standards equal planning board.

Fairport did stop Walgreens but they also tour down their entire Main Street in the early 1970s and rebuilt it.

The subject is now Walgreens.

Nope Jim thats a typical non answer a politician makes. Pretend I'm stupid and spell out the why exactly that there is no Wegmans stores in genesee county. I know you wont but its fun to watch politicians and former politicians avoid direct answers.

Wegmans has a business model. In order to open a store in a certain location, the median income has to be above a certain level. The median income in Genesee County is below that level. That's the best I can do for you Kyle.

Yet there is a Wegmans in Chemung county where the median level was comparable last I looked.

Also, there's the fact that so many of us shop there anyway. They certainly could be sustainable here.

Jim, we campaigned together. You campaigned on how no one was following the Master Plan and how important it is, but now it's not? Which is it? The people who buy into it and agree with it think it's worth it, not to mention that they've been asking (me included) for it to be updated.

It's up to the community to make sure it is followed since it hasn't been.

The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over and over and expect different results. This can be applied on several levels here.

In comparison to what was on that NW corner of 5 and 19, Walgreens is beautiful, and generates much more sales tax revenue than the empty storefronts that were knocked down. The Coin shop was the only occupied store front, with a dilapidated apt building, an empty napa store, empty gas station, and the tax exempt clubs that the Masons and fireman occupied. Anyone else remember seeing rats foraging around there? I do. Now it's time to clean up that other corner, and get up Steve Hawley's ass to get the DOT to fix that intersection. The Wiss was the excuse as to why it wasn't done the last time they reconfigured that intersection, but it won't be an excuse anymore.