Abandoned Halesite Home to be Secured, Town Says

The Town Board approved a resolution Tuesday to correct code violations at various properties around the town.

To the relief of a group of Huntington homeowners, members of the newly-formed Halesite Neighborhood Action Committee, an abandoned home in their neighborhood is among those that will be closed up and made secure.

A half-dozen came to the meeting Tuesday to plead their case and hand over a petition signed by 27 residents who live near the home on a half-acre at 3 Forest Court that has, they say, become not just an eyesore but a real safety hazard.

"A renovation was begun in 2003 in the home that, for a variety of reasons, has not been completed," said Socrates Sakell, a Bay Place resident. "It sits vacant. We do believe it has now been foreclosed upon. It has begun to create challenges and problems including the environmental impact and dangers presented by a vacant, open, dangerous home. We want the property to be secured so animals children teenagers cannot get in to the property which has already occurred."

The group submitted photos of cans of beer, graffiti and feces inside the house along with their petition.

Patricia Urban of Bay Avenue said she had reported the building several times over the past few months.

"I reported it was unsecured and a danger to the neighborhood. Nothing had been done so I am happy to hear with the school year coming to a close that it will be done because I am sure it will be, as it has in the past, a place to explore and use as a hangout." she said. "It's at the end of an I-shaped dead end and I believe this is an invitation to unsupervised fun. We've had several block parties in this neighborhood that solidified friendships. This has all changed. Parents no longer want to bring their kids here and no longer suggest their older children go enjoy the dead-end street. Something of a permanent nature really needs to be done to secure the property."

Mary Lou Mallouk, whose home is directly next to 3 Forest Court, said that her house as well as other nearby homes could be compromised in the case of a fire.

"This house is higher than our houses," she said of the four-story structure. "So any flames would come down on our house. The Halesite Fire Department said they consider it too dangerous to go inside. The floors have holes. They said they would fight it from the outside. That makes us nervous."

Bay Place resident Rebecca Gunton urged the board to secure the property quickly. "We've lived with this for five years. I think we've been very patient."

Councilwoman Susan Berland broke the good news that a resolution was going to be voted on to authorize the "securing of unsafe structures" by the town's Department of Public Safety at that very meeting to secure the building.

"Just so you know we are going to be sending someone out and cleaning it up. It is definitely going to be secured. It's on the agenda, resolution number 233," she said.

Sakell had only one word.  "Fabulous!" he said.

Councilman Mark Cuthbertson said that the town might also be able to work with the residents to reach the mortgage lender  "to get a sense of where the house is at in the procedure, because foreclosures go at various stages and speeds."

Town records say the home is owned by David and Jeanette Lagone. Records also reflect no past-due payment on the property's $12, 121 tax bill. The house was originally constructed in 1977 and an additional building permit was obtained in 1987 to construct an addition to the house. Another permit application was submitted in 2002 for a two-story addition. The application expired before a permit could be issued.

Following the meeting, the residents said they were glad that the resolution was approved but they wanted to be sure the town followed through on its promise and that the work was done before the end of the school year.