The East Williston Board of Trustees received two bids to demolish an abandoned, dilapidated house at 8 Sumter Avenue last Thursday.
But neither bidder submitted an estimate for restoring the structure.
East Williston-based J Galvin Construction submitted a bid of $28,500 and Amport Design & Construction of Garden City Park submitted a bid of $61,653, according to East Williston Village Clerk Marie Hausner.
Hausner said the J Galvin bid was submitted with a condition that if any hazardous materials are found on the site extra costs will be incurred.
The board had advertised the bid for restoration or demolition of the house, giving the bidders the choice to bid on doing both or either, village officials said.
In an interview with Blank Slate Media, the house’s owner, John Muzio, said he will seek a court order to show cause to try to prevent the demolition.
Muzio also said his deal with BNL Construction to sell the house is not dead and the prospective buyers must appeal the planning board’s decision – a claim disputed by BNL Construction.
“We’re still in contract for the house to sell,” Muzio said. “I know one thing. The buyer’s got to go to the zoning board of appeals
In a ruling issued last year after a protracted court battle, a Nassau Supreme Court judge gave the village permission to either demolish the house owned by Muzio. The board decided to await the outcome of an application to the village Planning Board for a subdivision of the property from BNL Construction, which according to BNL officials had a contract to purchase the property from Muzio conditioned on the planning board’s approval. But the subdivision application was denied by the planning board.
In a rambling account, Muzio said the village shut off his power at the Sumter House in 2009, but then took back the claim, acknowledging the village didn’t have the ability to shut off his power.
“I didn’t leave the house in the condition it’s in. Since 2009, I had no facilities there. I’ve had no heat in the house,” Muzio said, adding that he’s been “homeless,” living with relatives since then.
Commenting on the overgrown condition of the property, he said, “I like things natural. Things are a little overgrown.”
Muzio also said raccoons were trapped outside the house, not inside it – as residents have claimed.
“There never was any dead raccoons coming out of the house,” he said.
Neighbors of the Sumter Avenue house have complained about the danger of the house’s decrepit condition, its appearance and the raccoons they said were living in it.
Muzio said there is no reason he should be denied to profit from sale of the property, as some residents called for in the hearing on the proposed subdivision. He also complained about how some people spoke about him.
“They talk about me like I’m the worst criminal ever,” Muzio said.
BNL co-owner Luigi Calleo said he has explained to Muzio “numerous times” that there is no option to appeal the planning board’s decision to the village zoning board.
“The village will not permit us to go before the zoning board of appeals. That’s a legal issue [Muzio] refuses to understand,” Calleo said.
Calleo also repeated his contention that BNL’s contract to buy the house was contingent on the subdivision approval. He said Kevin Walsh, the lawyer representing BNL, is seeking to resolve the contract issue with Muzio’s attorney. Walsh could not be reached for comment. Muzio declined to reveal the identify of his attorney handling the contract.
Village Trustee Robert Vella Jr. said the village board must act “as quickly as possible to bring this to a resolution.”
“If he makes an order to show cause, we’ll defend ourselves as we have all along,” Vella, a lawyer, said. “He’s going to thwart any attempts we make at any turn. We’ll oppose any efforts he makes to stop us.”
East Williston Deputy Mayor Bonnie Parente has already said the village board has already decided “demolition is preferrable to rebuilding.” She declined to comment on the bids until the village board has reviewed them.
“It’s in a lawsuit. We’re reviewing the numbers to decide on how to proceed,” said Village of East Williston David Tanner referring to the court battle with Muzio.
Village officials said they intended to try to recover costs incurred in demolishing the house from Muzio. But at a recent village board meeting, Tanner expressed doubts about recovering all its costs.
Williston Park-based Colonial Crafters had bid $30,000 to demolish the house and $320,000 to restore it in January when the project was first put out to bid.
But with the bid having expired, the village board recently issued a second request for proposals on the eve of the village Planning Board’s decision last month to deny an application for a subdivision of the property by BNL.
