November 23, 2007

City eyeing Dutton Avenue house

The city is planning to purchase an old stone house next door to Rockwell Park.
City councilors plan next month to approve a $281,000 deal to buy the 15 Dutton Ave. house but to let its elderly owner remain in the home until he dies or moves away.
Officials have been eyeing the property for a couple of years but wanted to make sure that the city wouldn’t land in the middle of a family dispute about the disposition of the property.
City Councilor Frank Nicastro, who heads the Real Estate Committee, said the property could be a valuable addition to the park.
It appears the city would likely tear down the house once the purchase becomes final.
“It looks like it would come down,” said city Councilor Kevin McCauley.
Jeff Steeg, an assistant city attorney, said a court ruled in May that the family should sell the house and a lot next door. The ruling gave the city the first opportunity to buy it, said Steeg and Salvatore Vitrano, a lawyer for the family.
According to Vitrano, appraisals on the property found that the lot is worth $63,000 while the house is valued at $218,000, for a combined total of $281,000.
Vitrano said the city should purchase the lot and at the same agree to a contract to purchase the house for $218,000 whenever its elderly owner leaves the home for good.
He said that would lock in the price for the city and eliminate any responsibility for taxpayers to maintain the house while the family is still using it.
Vitrano said that the deal would allow the family to use the proceeds from the lot to pay back taxes and keep up the house until it eventually becomes the city’s property.
Nicastro said his concern was that he didn’t want to get in the middle of the family’s arguments about how to handle the property.
Vitrano said the judge’s order resolved the difficulties. He said the city would be on safe ground.
McCauley said the council should endorse the deal at its December 11 meeting. The Planning Commission has already given its blessing to the purchase, Steeg said.
The city is in the middle of a multi-year, $7 million project to remake Rockwell Park by adding more recreational facilities, better parking, a nicer entrance and other amenities aimed at restoring the historic West End park.

Note: The family feud may be worse than Vitrano portrayed it. The city could find itself in the middle of something.

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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is that the house with the riverstone foundation that is reflective of the naturalistic architecture of the park, and is on the Bristol's Historic Resources inventory?

Well they tore the other complimentary house near Muzzy Field a few years ago,to make way for grass, so why am I not surprised?

And, the Historic Society is going to do what?

Anonymous said...

There is a signed agreement,SIGNED BY ALL PARTIES(including ms Bevivino)more importantly there is a COURT ORDER requiring ALL parties to sell to the City or if the City is unwilling to purchase, to list and sell on the open market.If the mayor and city council are going to be intimidated by someone who is flirting with contempt of court ........so be it................ and so much for for the idea that our elected officials have the political will to do what is right for the City. steve,i am disapointed in your lack of effort to get the facts correct.....The city is not at risk.......

Steve Collins said...

I didn't say the city was at risk. I said the city might find itself in the middle of something.
I only know that Ms. Bevivino is so upset at the prospect of the deal that she phoned my house on Thanksgiving to say the story was all wrong and then to call my house again at 7 a.m. Friday morning, which was so far beyond the pale that I didn't return her calls.
As for me, I listened to what Vitrano and Jeff Steeg said at the Real Estate Committee and they did not seem concerned about any legal complications. They're officers of the court and ought to have a firm grip on what's going on.

Anonymous said...

Nice family the city's dealing with. Have fun with them, Steve.

Anonymous said...

So the bugryan's get their house seized by eminant domain, low balled on the price, and don't have the benefit of living there until the family members living there die. But this guy gets a break...nice.

Anonymous said...

Thats Frank for you!

Anonymous said...

Frank offered the Burgryns a deal that would have paid them more than they eventyally got AND would have let them all stay there until every last one of them was dead and buried. But the Bugryns got greedy (probably bad advice from even greedier lawyers) and they appealed and lost. It was actually Couture and Kosta who through them off the property and removed the option of allowing them to stay in the house for the rest of their lives.

Anonymous said...

No wonder Ms. bevivino wanted Zoppo so bad to be the Mayor...Now the pieces of the puzle are starting to come together.

Anonymous said...

Here we go again:

Looks like Nicastro will lead us into another "Ken Karl" situation.

He also started the Bugryn fiasco, and was working to get them out before he left office.
Couture and Kosta just inherited that mess.

He'll screw this one up too!!!

And he wants to be mayor again???