By DEBBIE ROSEN
I.P. takes over ownership; plans in place for passive park
The claws of the excavator crushed the corner house on Warwick and Radcliffe roads in Island Park, crumbling it to pieces before carting away the bad memories it left to the Coronel family, who live next door. Finally, Thomas and his 4-year-old twin brother David, who thought monsters lurked inside the house, were able to wake up from their nightmares, and their mother couldn't be happier.
"Thomas is smiling and we are delighted," said Cecilia Coronel, the day her own house shook from the vibrations of the demolition work. "This is great! It's a dream come true."
For a year, Village of Island Park administrators worked to take ownership of the property, which had lain dormant since its owners died years ago. Relatives of the owners, unable to sell the property, left it to rot, literally.
Condemned by Nassau County courts this month, the property was taken over by the village, which paid $25,000 to creditors with funding provided by the state Senate and gave the go-ahead to rid the town of the bug-infested house, home to raccoons and cats.
A passive park with a path, green grass and benches will be built on the land, using a $100,000 grant received from the state. Designs for the park will begin in the spring; the primary concern for village leaders was to get the house torn down.
When the construction company began to rev up its excavator to tear down the building, the village's public works department was on hand to lend a hand, as police blocked off Radcliffe Road, making the area safe for residents and students heading into the Francis X. Hegarty School, across from the demolition.
"The house was in such deplorable condition, the entire second floor was rotted ... it was unsafe," said Mayor Papatsos.
Animal safety questioned
Before the condemned building was brought to the ground, Steve's Wildlife Removal was hired by the village to trap any animals in the building. The trapping brought initial criticism from cat lovers in the area.
But the Mayor, along with Steve Sharon, the owner of the Island Park wildlife removal company, assured them that traps were set only inside the house and all measures were in accordance with state law. Two traps at the entrance to the building caught the animals -- three cats and three raccoons.
"The village didn't want the animals hurt when the building came down, and if they are adopted, they'll have a better home," said Mr. Sharon, who brought the cats to the Freeport Animal Shelter. The feral felines will be adopted if they can be tamed, he said.
The raccoons were put to sleep by the removal service, because it was unable to get permission to release the animals in another area. "If I don't have private-landowner written permission, I have to by law," Mr. Sharon said of the euthanasia. "There were no areas, not even a state park, who provided me with that. I solicited for permission, but to no avail."
The Mayor confirmed reports that the village does not have the authority to take and neuter cats and there is no law for cats to roam free. "People should be more responsible with their cats and have a collar and bell on them, so anyone would know it's a pet," she said, a cat owner and lover herself. She assured that the trapping of cats was done to code.
Another home boarded up by village
The Coronels believe their lives have been improved by actions taken by the department of public works. In an earlier story, it was reported that the Coronel house was wedged between the condemned building and one that looked like it should be.
The Mayor tried to alert the building's owner to fix up the place or the village would do it and put a lien on its property taxes. The notice, sent out in August, went unanswered, and parts of the house were boarded up, cleaned out, and the grass was cut on Sunday, Oct. 22.
