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Lawmakers bill back cost of repairs to abandoned motel owners

Dec 27, 2018 12:45 pm
Sarah Trafton is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Greene County Legislature voted Dec. 19, to pay for securing the former Budget Motel, located on Route 9W in Athens. The abandoned motor inn was boarded up to prevent squatters from taking up residence in the building. Athens town officials hired Rainbow Painting Company to do the work, which cost $14,500. The motel has been abandoned for many years, Town Supervisor Robert Butler Jr. said. “There was evidence of people living there — prescription bottles on the counter,” he said. “We secured the building to prevent that from continuing.” The work was done under the provisions of Athen's unsafe buildings law. “The property was in violation of the town code chapter 93-5,” Code Enforcement Officer Albert Gasparini said. Once served with notice and a description of the building conditions, repairs must be completed within 90 days. Because the property owner failed to make the needed repairs, the town exercised its authority to step in and deal with the problem. The cost of the repairs will now be billed back to DKAG Inc., the property owner, as part of the tax levy. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.