POUGHKEEPSIE – A $150,000 grant from the New York State Housing Stabilization Funds Zombie and Vacant Properties Remediation and Prevention initiative will go a long way in helping the city deal with a growing problem.
City Administrator Deborah McDonnell told the Poughkeepsie Common Council
Monday night the grant is an opportunity.
“Is to hire some part-time people over the next two years to create a database that we can begin to use for our vacant, abandoned, our burned out buildings,” she said. It would also pay for required software.
McDonnell said another benefit would go to at-risk homeowners.
“An opportunity to do outreach with folks that may be losing their properties,” McDonnell said. “I have spoken to two organizations within the city who can do this outreach and go in and help people who are on the verge of maybe losing their homes and need some help. We can help them through that.”
Related to that is a proposed local law that would permit the city to lien insurance proceeds subsequent to a fire.
Corporation Counsel Paul Ackerman said this would pertain if an owner does not restore the property.
“This would help to ensure that those properties damaged by fire are restored to the condition that they were in prior to the fire,” he said.
Ackerman noted there have been instances of owners simply pocketing the insurance and walking away.
A public hearing on the local law is scheduled for April 17, prior to the next council meeting.
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