Gloversville targets problem properties
By RODNEY MINOR, The Leader-HeraldGLOVERSVILLE - Officials say they hope the city's new public nuisance law won't have to be used frequently, but they are glad to have it in their arsenal in the battle against blight.
The Common Council last month amended the city code, adding the Property and Building Nuisance Abatement Act.
The law is modeled after a similar one adopted in Glens Falls in 2000. Gloversville Mayor Tim Hughes provided the council with a copy of the law in September, with the suggestion the council members consider how it could apply to Gloversville.
After the council unanimously approved its version of the law, Hughes said the law gives the city another tool to combat blight.
"It gives [the city] something to fight back with," he said.
When the new council took office in January, a subcommittee was formed to look into the law. It includes 3rd Ward Councilman James Robinson, 4th Ward Councilwoman Ellen Anadio and 5th Ward Councilman Matt Myers.
"The Common Council finds that the quality of life for many residents of the city of Gloversville is threatened by the deterioration of some properties as well as by certain activities and patterns of behavior engaged in by individuals at, or in close proximity to, their homes," according to the law.
The Glens Falls law used a point system that let city inspectors cite tenants or homeowners for a range of blight-related conditions involving the condition of the properties and behavior at them. When a certain number of points are accumulated, the public nuisance law kicks in.
Gloversville Police Capt. Jim Lorenzoni said the city's new public nuisance law will probably only be used a few times over the course of a given year.
"I feel it will probably not be used frequently," he said. "But it will be another tool for us to use to combat some of the quality-of-life issues we face."
The law will apply after a number of offenses occur at a given property. For example, three violations of the city code regarding noisy animals within the same year will trigger the law.
Myers said the subcommittee decided to simplify the law by not to using the points system.
"It allows us to have the law without having the extra people that would be necessary to do the paperwork that would accompany [the point system]," he said.
Lorenzoni said there is minimal paperwork on the police officer's end. Most of the work required by the law will be done by the administrative staff at the Police Department and City Court, he said.
City Attorney John Clo said only citations - not necessarily convictions - will count toward the nuisance law.
Charges that may lead to a property owner being charged with breaking the nuisance law include the use of marijuana, first-degree loitering, disorderly conduct, noisy and annoying dogs, loud music or any felony involving the sale of drugs.
When any such violation occurs, the owner or occupant of the property will be notified.
If enough violations have accumulated to trigger the law, a ticket to appear in City Court will be issued to the owner or occupant of the property.
The court is allowed a range of remedies under the law such as evicting problem tenants, decreeing a residence may not be lived in for up to six months or revoking city licenses and permits related to the conduct of business at the property.
Myers said the nuisance law is essentially in a trial stage, and the council may make changes to the law as it sees fit.
"I do not think it is some magic button that will fix everything we are concerned with," he said. "But it will contribute to helping us solve the problem."
Rodney Minor covers Gloversville. He can be reached at gloversville@leaderherald.com.
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whybother
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07-09-08 10:03 PM
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I agree with Sewage, where does and eight year old pick up flipping someone off? They are so rude it's pathetic, ever drive up the high school hill after school, they walk in the road, jump in front of your car, and then laugh about it, but if god forbid someone ever hit them, then it would somehow be our fault. I think the majority of parents have just given up raising their children.
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Sewage
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07-08-08 3:31 PM
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You have all lost it. So has the city. If you want to place blame on anyone, place it on parents. All of these scumbags had to get that way somehow. Just last week I pulled out my driveway and had an 8 yr old flip me off and curse up and down the street. Where do you think that kid will end up? No one wants to take responsibility in gville or jtown. There are more people living off the government than working, just drive around at 10am youll see.
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ReclaimGville
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07-08-08 2:47 PM
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Loyalist, you hit a nerve with me. Like I always say, Anything positive is pushed to J'town and anything negative is pushed down our throats here in g'ville!! (The good ole YMCA) If the Walmart were to go up in Johnstown, you know what, we would be shopping there by now!!! Just my thoughts as always.
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LoyalSocialist
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07-08-08 8:09 AM
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I love living in Johnstown after reading all the negativity thats in G-Money.
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crotoban
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07-08-08 6:24 AM
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imagine blaming the landlord for bad tenants, total joke.
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ADKMike
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07-08-08 6:04 AM
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It may be just a rumor but I think that the old Loblaw's is going to be the new location of the Berkshire Volunteer Fire Company. As for the post about the person that complained about music she couldn't possibly hear. ????? I wonder why the new ordinance will be used so sparingly? If we are not using points who is tracking complaints? same thing.
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shotgun
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07-07-08 11:34 PM
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2nd Amendment, come forth at election time and run for elective office and maybe then things will start to get better in Gloversville or you may find that things are not as salvable as you think. It amazes me how people complain about how things are being done or not done but every election we seem to have many canidates running unopposed for offices. Get involved and don't be a part of the 85% of our voters who don't vote .
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ReclaimGville
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07-07-08 9:54 PM
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Hey Renuzit, Good point, however most of these bums don't want to work. They just want to sponge off of the system.
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2ndAmendement
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07-07-08 9:43 PM
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yes, nothing good is going to happen to goobersville until the current group of lackeys is voted out.
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SNOWGRINCH
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07-07-08 5:23 PM
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Once again… nothing good ever happens in G’ville. Anything progressive is automatically going to be a failure. The negativity of some of G’vill’s citizens is amazing!
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FREEDOM
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07-07-08 4:24 PM
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The old loblaws building is in the town of johnstown how ever the city doesn't push the town to do something about it
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BEREAL64
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07-07-08 4:17 PM
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ReclaimGville - excellent! The Common Council knows that there is a major problem in the city. What's the solution? Pass a law that they water down, will be used rarely and with no teeth. How about kicking some rears and taking names. Every month city court has a number of landlords who have been cited for violations. Their properties are run down and they are given a slap on the wrist and little else. Look at the old Loblaws - a shining example of what is acceptable in Gloversville. Wishy-washy is not what the majority of Gloversville property owners want from the Common Council. There's a new sheriff - let's get him going!!
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renuzit
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07-07-08 4:00 PM
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If you have ever played Sim City, and you haven't been taking care of the citizens, houses start to blink and then fizzle out. Moral of the story...put people to work with good paying jobs. Gloversville is always in a depression.
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ReclaimGville
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07-07-08 2:40 PM
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"the deterioation of some properties"? SOME, HA, just some, have they looked around this city? This place is becoming a safe haven for the scum of the earth. To the people who keep their properties up, KUDOS to you, but we are fighting an up hill battle, because these dilapidated homes are infiltrating even the nice neighborhoods!! Doesn't our police force have the power to arrest these people already for loud music and nuisance dogs?? Also when i hear the word blight, I think of the condition of these homes. If doesn't clean up these properties, where does it help blight? The same slumlords still own the homes and if they lose one set of scumbags, they find more to rent to!!
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somewherearoundhere
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07-07-08 2:28 PM
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what about vindictive neighbors who call the cops for your music just because they dont like you? i have a friend whos neighbor across the street calls the cops even though she CANT hear the music unless she crosses the street just does it to antagonize him only ONCE did he get a citation because he blasted the music on purpose.... same as with dogs what constitutes a nuisance dog?? someone could just call because they dont care for the neighbors dog.. needs to be more clear cut and precise..
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SNOWGRINCH
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07-07-08 2:09 PM
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If you have barking dogs in your neighborhood, set up a video camera with a clock in the foreground before calling the police. Show the police officer the video when they arrive, and give them the video to use as evidence. The police now have tape to show the dogs owner when he swear his dogs has been inside the house and quite all night. You usually only have to do this once.
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zeus77
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07-07-08 1:46 PM
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funny that they have not provided definitions on some points as the dog annoyance. Now would you not think that they would have understood the need for definitions. how many times have we all heard the police officers tell us that there is nothing they can do about a situation that several residents have observed, but because since the police officer did not observe the situation themselves they can do nothing except talk with the people that have been accused and hope that this stops the problem and more often than not it doesn't solve a thing. How can the court really take action on these complaints when only the good decent residents observed it and then on other situations the court can't take action because the police didn't observe it. To me this looks like a way to cause more confusion and pit neighbor against neighbor.
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morningstar
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07-07-08 12:55 PM
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It does sound good, initially. However, I'd like a clear definition of "annoying" in terms of dogs. I have two and we keep pretty good tabs on their barking. However, there are at least a dozen dogs within one block in our neighborhood. What's to stop a person who doesn't like dogs to go crazy, terming all of our dogs as "annoying"? I would like to think something more concrete than a citation would be in order if only three instances are allowed per year. At what time of day is barking annoying? Is there an amount of time that would make it so? Other than barking, what constitutes annoying? This law sounds a bit too ambiguous to me at this point: "Myers said the nuisance law is essentially in a trial stage, and the council may make changes to the law as it sees fit." I think there should be a law, but it should certainly be clear enough to know what is expected if you live in the city. How is the public going to be notified of the specifics?
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renuzit
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07-07-08 12:47 PM
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When will the city reward residents that have well kept homes by giving them a tax break?
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SNOWGRINCH
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07-07-08 12:37 PM
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This sounds like a good first step at cleaning up some nuisance properties without overly burdening the occasional offender.
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Ernie9
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07-07-08 11:46 AM
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Now that makes absolutely no sense at all. Why would the city issue itself a ticket to appear in City court. Rather pointless.
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FREEDOM
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07-07-08 11:32 AM
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I wonder if they will useit for city owned property.
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