Cromwell Court Demolition on Hold for Now

Almost as soon as workers started tearing down , the demolition stopped Monday, halted by the same man who unsuccessfully sought to overturn West Deptford’s standing demolition order on the home earlier this month.

Contractor Michael Crowley, who’s been fighting since last summer to overturn condemnation and demolition orders against the Sherwood Green home in an effort to rehab it, filed a Superior Court injunction to stop the process, claiming the township mishandled the demolition, using a contractor that isn't licensed to deal with what he said is asbestos among the debris scattered about the site.

"It appears the township botched this job from minute one," said Crowley, who has power of attorney for Robert Schumann, the absent owner of the home, who now has a date in court in two weeks to argue his case.

West Deptford Township Administrator Eric Campo said the township believes it has complied with all the requirements for the demolition, and added that if there’s an issue with asbestos at the site, it’s more an issue of licensing than anything else. The township is ultimately seeking to finish the demolition, Campo said.

"We'll address all those concerns," he said. "All of these issues don't change the condition of the house, however."

The home has gone from an eyesore to a cracked, rotting tooth in the neighborhood; a few days’ worth of demolition have left it stripped of siding and gutters, down to a black wrap on the exterior. An excavator sits atop a mound of rubble that was the garage, a broken plastic Santa Claus at the foot of one tread.

Part of the main home has been torn away, with upstairs rooms—still with furniture, for the most part—visible through a portion of outer wall that’s been torn away.

And the mold, something neighbors have cited as a major concern, is impossible to miss, blooming in a black, white and green fresco on the ceilings inside.

Crowley said he’s looking out for Schumann’s interests in calling for a halt to demolition, claiming the alleged asbestos problem could put Schumann at risk for liability, should anything go wrong in the process of tearing down the home.

He also claimed to be looking out for the residents nearby, given his assertion about asbestos in the debris, and came back to his argument that restoring the house would’ve been the best option.

"What would've helped the community is if I had been able to rehab this house in four months," Crowley said.

People who actually live on Cromwell Court, however, were less than convinced of Crowley’s altruistic claims.

“He’s doing the neighbors and the neighborhood a disservice,” said John Bond, who lives next door to the partially-demolished home. “For a person who was very interested in saving the township money, he’s doing the reverse now.”

Bond said he and his neighbors are concerned about safety, given the home is now only protected by a snow fence erected as a temporary barrier. Otherwise, doors, windows and entire walls have been ripped out, allowing access to the wreckage.

Deputy Mayor Sean Kilpatrick was livid when he stopped out at the court to take a look at the scene from beside a “Danger” sign tacked to the orange plastic fencing.

“We did the right thing in holding up that demolition order,” he said. “Now we’re looking at a house that’s half-demolished.”

Kilpatrick said it was especially frustrating Crowley came in to stop the demolition, given the township had given him several opportunities to lay out a convincing argument why he should be allowed to rehab the home.

“There was nothing in that hearing that told us otherwise,” Kilpatrick said. “It’s maddening.”