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By David Avitabile
MIDDLEBURGH - After months of legal work and paperwork and years of talk, the Village of Middleburgh officially owns 111 Railroad Avenue, affectionately known as the "chalet."
Once asbestos is removed and other preparations are made, the two-story wooden building will be demolished and the empty lot will be used for much needed parking on Railroad Avenue.
"The Village of Middleburgh officially owns 111 Railroad Avenue," Mayor Tim Knight announced Tuesday morning. "I signed the deed over to the Village last week and it has been filed with the County. We approved an asbestos surveyor to come out and sample the building at our meeting on Monday evening."
Preparations have begun for the teardown.
"We have already scheduled for the telephone and electric power lines to be disconnected, and the Village DPW will disconnect water and sewer service this summer.
"Once the asbestos survey is complete, we can put the demolition part of this project out to bid in July."
The process to take ownership of the building did not happen overnight and many people had a hand in the work, Mayor Knight said.
"Many, many folks deserve credit for the Village taking ownership of this condemned structure, including Village Trustee Kevin Young, Code Enforcement Officer Rick Fink, and Village Attorney Fred Mauhs."
If everything goes according to plan, the old wooden building could be gone by the end of the summer.
In March, Attorney Mauhs told village board members that the notice of intent to file abandonment proceedings documents had been filed with the Schoharie County Court. Notices were sent to the current owner, and the company that holds the mortgage. After 30 days, the intent to abandon the property documents were filed. If there is no response, a hearing would be scheduled for 15 days later. The village did not expect any of the owners to show at the hearing. At that hearing, the judge can order that the mayor can transfer the deed of the property to the village, which happened earlier this month.
Mr. Mauhs said the papers were sent to the most recent owners, Full Moon Dry Cleaners in Patchogue, Long Island, and the prior owners, DTH Roe Inc. of Austin, Texas. DTH supposedly held a $34,000 mortgage on the abandoned property.
Village officials noted that the companies could be "shell companies" set up to move money around.
The village is attempting to gain ownership of the property through eminent domain.
On Halloween, Village Code Enforcement Fink placed a Notification of Certification of Abandonment on the building.
Village board members in October agreed to move forward to take ownership of the property for the purpose of demolition. The 2025 village budget includes $4,000 for litigation to purchase the building.
In September, board members were told that the village had been contacted by two firms with quotes on demolishing the building that has been abandoned for several years. The quotes for demolition were $35,000 and $57,500. One firm assumed there was asbestos in the building, the other did not. Grants could be available to help pay for removal, the Mayor said.
Village officials have tried, and failed, to contact the owners of the building.
The building has been abandoned and been owned by absentee landlords for years. It is now home to pigeons, other animals and human intruders. The building, which was a dry goods and mercantile store 100 years ago, was the subject of a Mountain Eagle Forgotten Schoharie County feature last summer.
Last summer, Mr. Fink told board members that he has issued violations, to no avail.
It was noted that the property is sometimes listed in Zillow for sale and is quickly sold to someone (or some business) outside the area.
The building is currently owned by a dry cleaning company out of Patchogue, Long Island. The corporation, Full Moon Dry Cleaners LLC, located on 25 East Patchogue-Yaphank Road in Patchogue, Long Island, has owned it since January 2022. The deed was filed in April 2022 with a purchase price of $60,000, according to the Schoharie County Real Property Tax office. The office "red flagged" the sale because of the purchase price. Attempts to contact the company have been fruitless.
In addition to the Mountain Eagle's attempts to contact Full Moon Dry Cleaners, the Village of Middleburgh has sent the owners tax bills and other letters for over two years. All have gone unanswered. The county Real Property Tax Office has reported that the 2023 town and county and 2022 school tax bills are delinquent. Water and sewer bills also are not being paid.
The wooden two-story building (with an attic), which has been nicknamed "the chalet" by some local residents because of its trim and siding, has had several owners over the past 20 years.
Before being purchased by the Full Moon Dry Cleaners (no phone number listed), which filed the deed in April 2022, it was owned by DTH Roe Inc. of Austin, Texas. DTH Roe bought the building from Deutsche Bank National Trust Company of West Palm Beach Florida (and a post office box in Texas) in February 2017. Deutsche Bank bought it from Gerald Morales in April, 2016, according to the county Real Property Tax Office. Mr. Morales purchased it from Snyder Proper LLC, which was incorporated in October 1998.The oldest deed for the building is listed as Albert Bliss in the early 1900s from Carr Sheldon for the lot off of Sheldon Avenue. Members of the Bliss family said the property was deeded to Frank Bliss in 1895 and was in the Snyder family until 2005.
The building served as a dry goods and mercantile store for many years, selling Pillsbury Flour among other items on a dirt street.
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