Owners of Former Gray Goose in Verona Surprised by Demolition Orders

When Randy Satz and his wife Sherry Kai bought the former Gray Goose Restaurant in Verona last year, they were making an investment in the community.

However, less than a year later, they received a demolition notice from borough code enforcement officer Mark Stanton deeming the building unsafe. The former restaurant, located at 706 Allegheny River Boulevard, has been vacant for many years.

Satz and Kai—owners of the Hula Bar on East Railroad Avenue in Verona—attended Tuesday's meeting to discuss the matter.

Kai said when they bought the building last May, they were aware of several code enforcement violations that they agreed to fix. She said they had been working with an architect when they received a notice stating they had to apply for a demolition permit.

"That building is very sound and structured, and I think it's a great looking building," she said. "It carries a lot of history in Verona.

"We have every intention of getting it fixed up and putting a nice business inside."

According to the letter, there are problems with the brick, a hole in the glass block window, the third floor ceiling and pigeons in the building.

Kai said the couple has been in contact with a structural engineer and a roofer to straighten some of those things out.

She said electricians already have said there are no fire hazards in the building.

Kai said she and Satz have worked a little bit on the building, but with the state of the economy, they haven't had the time or resources to do everything.

"We're heavily invested with the community," she said. "It's pretty disheartening to get that letter when we're trying to preserve a building that's been in the community for all these years."

Verona Councilman Tony Futules used to own the building, and he said he doesn't agree with the demolition order.

"That's way out of line," he said.

Councilwoman Rhoda Gemellas-Worf said Kai and Satz should have had their structural engineer send a letter to the borough explaining that the building was not a hazard.

"We're trying to enforce the ordinances," Gemellas-Worf said.

Kai and Satz agreed to get a letter from their structural engineer and submit it to the borough.

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