Jn Adam site...Perrysburg & Trathen Deal

[DT14209]

I've been writing about the city owned Woodlawn Avenue Row Houses which are directly located across the street from the future site of Performing Arts High School. I've spent the last 15 months documenting thier long slow "demolition by neglect." I have an online petition which asks Buffalo Housing Court Judge Nowak to compel the city of Buffalo to bring the place into compliance and/or find a buyer for the site. I mean should the city of Buffalo be immune to its own building and health codes? 65 online signatures and an equal amount of "hard" copy signatures, too.

I've been interested in other really cool and historic municipally owned property and its systemic mis-management, too. The newly designated city of Buffalo owned "national historic" Wollenberg Grain Elevator on Koons Avenue near the rr tracks seems to be another squandered example. You'll find that surprising info here on my website.

I would be very curious to know what everyone's thoughts are regarding the proposed deal to sell the former JN Adam TB Hospital site in Perrysburg to the Trathen Co. It seems like Council President David Franczyk has pretty much thwarted the deal.

I've written about the city's complete mis-management of this deal, have quite a "urbex" pics from Perrysburg, gathered a ton of BN articles and would very much appreciate any comments you might have about the deal 40 miles away in Perrysburg.

Here's my website: http://fixbuffalo.blogspot.com

And here's all the stuff I've collected about the deal down in Perrysburg:
http://fixbuffaloarchives.blogspot.c...gfranzcyk.html


Lot of stuff, I know...appreciate the review.

Thanks...

[speaker]

Originally posted by DT14209
. I mean should the city of Buffalo be immune to its own building and health codes? 65 online signatures and an equal amount of "hard" copy signatures, too.

I've been interested in other really cool and historic municipally owned property and its systemic mis-management, too.

I've written about the city's complete mis-management of this deal, have quite a "urbex" pics from Perrysburg, gathered a ton of BN articles and would very much appreciate any comments you might have about the deal 40 miles away in Perrysburg.

Here's my website: http://fixbuffalo.blogspot.com

Thanks...

Just some excerpts from dt14209's post--didn't want it to get lost. Look at his website-it's just another shocker that we Buffalonians have gotten so used to. But it's so well done and took huge work to do.

[Linda_D]

dt14209,

Perrysburg is nearly my "home turf" since I grew up in the next town east, Persia. In fact, we could see the JN Adam chimney and some of the building roofs from our back porch (we lived on "Broadway Hill" and JN is located on "Peck Hill"). I also own land in the town of Persia that has been logged at least twice since I acquired it.

I also worked at the state agency that ran JN Adam since it changed from a tb hospital to a facility for the mentally disabled (not mentally ill -- they were on the "other" hill, Helmuth, north of Gowanda and that site is not one, but two, state prisons.

There's a lot of claims being made about the JN property that has little or no truth to it, including the one that this property is worth millions and that somehow logging would be an ecological disaster. There have also been claims made about other things that are simply too ignorant to respond to.

First off, contrary to claims, many of the buildings, particularly the porches, are badly deteriorated and dangerous. It was one of the reasons why OMRDD removed all clients from the complex and built group homes on the grounds back in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The administration building with its famous dome (which was NOT done by Louis Comfort Tiffany as some claim) is in decent shape but there is no use for it. The buildings are only "assets" if there's a potential use for them. Lacking that, they are liabilities.

Secondly, getting more than $500 an acre for such a large parcel of land in Cattaraugus County is a good price since the average price for land is much less, particularly since the new owner becomes liable for the buildings and taxes on the buildings.

Third, another claim that's made is that there's "old growth timber" on the property. That's bull manure. "Old growth" means that the area was never cleared, and that some of the trees date back to before European settlement (1700s). The only old growth timber in WNY is down in the Zoar Valley east of Gowanda.

There is virtually no "clear-cut" commercial logging in Western New York because there aren't large stands of single tree species all of the same age. During the 1920s and 1930s 4-H members did small-scale reforestation, mostly with pines on individual farms, but these tracts are small, only a few acres in size. The forest lands in WNY are second growth forest that has succeeded farmland abandonment, so they're mixed species of differing ages which precludes clear cutting. Moreover, NYS has specific rules about logging on hillsides and along creeks that put limits on clear cutting. Occaisionally individual land owners who want to manage their land for wildlife will have a small part of their property clear cut to provide "meadow" and "edge" ecosystems on their wooded property, but this is the exception rather than the rule. This is another false issue brought up by people who don't know what they're talking about.

The JN Adam property is not some "gold mine" for the City of Buffalo. NYS has been trying to sell this property for years with no takers until Trahern came along. Buffalo ought to take the money and run -- otherwise, they will get stuck with it (just for info's sake, Catt County doesn't have any county parks and Perrysburg already has a town park).

[Shovel ready]

Are the Woodlawn rowhouses completely vacant?

You are going to be hard pressed preserving much of anything (that isn't a church) on the East Side considering most people with choice avoid certain areas of like the plague.

[DT14209]

Gabe...

Check out the website that I've put together documenting the long slow process of "demolition by neglect." The is taking place on the city's watch as owner. I've taken pictures of the place every month for the last 15.

The place was last lived in about three years ago. Never having met you I might assume that you wouldn't want your dog (if you have one) to venture in the building.

They row houses were designated a "local-landmark" in the early 80's!!!

Thanks for your interest...

http://fixbuffalo.blogspot.com/

[DT14209]

Linda D,

Thanks for helping me dispell various myths about the site.

It sure is a fascinating and unique place. For those of you not familiar with the site, here some pics. I've included a cool interior pic of the "tiffany" skylight.

http://fixbuffalo.blogspot.com/2005/...705187611.html

If our local "political class" hadn't plunged head first down the rabbit hole, I'm sure we would be considering this place as an asset.

Instead, as your remarks mention, the place presents so many forward liabilities for the presumptive owner (city of Buffalo) that I believe we are only further mortgaging our future by allowing people like David Franczyk to thwart the deal with a viable entitity like Trathen & co.

I've spoken with Myrton Sprague, Perrysburg Town Super., he has broad based support for the sale in his town...yet here, "The City of Good Neighbors" is fiddling and blocking the sale.

Any guess as to why?

Thanks again for your insight...

http://fixbuffalo.blogspot.com/

[WestCoastPerspective]

DT- great work with all of your efforts!
I find the foreclosed new home information fascinating..I added a comment to your site. Good to hear you are in touch with Dick Kern- a fighter for the city if there ever was one!

[DT14209]

Just an update....

Next week in Cattaragus Supreme Court the fate of the JN Adam site in Perrysburg will most likely be decided.

Frequent readers of Fix Buffalo know that I've been tracking the Perrysburg Deal since it first appeared as a speck on the local radar screen in December 2004. All the updates.

It's pretty much the talk of the town, 40 miles away in Perrysburg, NY the site of the former tuberculosis hospital and developmental center known as JN Adam, by the locals.

In spring of 1993, New York State closed the facility and the city of Buffalo had a ten year window under New York State law to do something with the place. Buffalo didn't do anything until this past Spring, when Common Council President David Franczyk and a gang of Merry Pranksters decided to "save the Perrysburg Forest."

The problem is the "City of Buffalo" has no legal standing in the matter any longer. Our elected and anointed have failed us again and continue to hold the people of Perrysburg, NY hostage. Kind of reminds me of some rural Vermont wisdom about trying to close the barn door after the cows got away. They had 3650 days to close the barn door. And I believe that David Franczyk was in office for most of that time...

Read the latest updates over here.

This is a text book case in municipal malfeasance if there ever was one. See what Common Council President David Franczyk is (not) doing about it over here.

Make sure to check out my blog, Fix Buffalo for additional perspectives on what's going on, mostly on the city's east-side.

Later,

David

A few pics of JN Adam. See the slide show.

[Boost Buffalo]

Originally posted by DT14209
Just an update....

"save the Perrysburg Forest."

what do they want, to demolish the place?

[Linda_D]

Originally posted by Boost Buffalo
what do they want, to demolish the place?

The buyer, Trathern, wants to log first. There's 650 acres or so in the parcel, most of it covered with mature hardwoods that are ready for logging. The "Perrysburg Forest" no special features, historically or ecologically. It is NOT an "old growth" forest that some people claim; the only old growth forest in WNY is in Zoar Valley. The Peck Hill area where JN Adam is located was pretty well cleared and farmed for most of the 19th century.

To reduce his tax liability (and also since his main business is logging), Trathern will try to sell those buildings at JN Adam that can be reused and demolish the rest. I don't expect that he'll find many buyers. Many of the buildings have structural problems, which is one of the reasons that the state removed patients from many of the buildings years before its official 1993 closing.

The most valuable asset at the JN Adam site is its water works. This was not included in the sale to Trathern but will be deeded by the state to the Village of Perrysburg to supply its water needs.

[iecharlie]

Originally posted by Linda_D
The buyer, Trathern, wants to log first. There's 650 acres or so in the parcel, most of it covered with mature hardwoods that are ready for logging. The "Perrysburg Forest" no special features, historically or ecologically. It is NOT an "old growth" forest that some people claim; the only old growth forest in WNY is in Zoar Valley. The Peck Hill area where JN Adam is located was pretty well cleared and farmed for most of the 19th century.

To reduce his tax liability (and also since his main business is logging), Trathern will try to sell those buildings at JN Adam that can be reused and demolish the rest. I don't expect that he'll find many buyers. Many of the buildings have structural problems, which is one of the reasons that the state removed patients from many of the buildings years before its official 1993 closing.

The most valuable asset at the JN Adam site is its water works. This was not included in the sale to Trathern but will be deeded by the state to the Village of Perrysburg to supply its water needs.

[DT14209]

The deal is almost done.

On Wednesday last week Buffalo's Common Council voted to release the "reverter" - the clause that Franczyk et al. thought would allow them to turn the place into another City park, in Cattaragus County.

I received this from Tom Trathen's attorney:

FYI, the City and State last week requested an adjournment of tomorrow's court appearance. This request was granted over my strenous objection. The case is now scheduled for September 8th in Little Valley.

As you know, the City Council has since voted to approve the reverter release. They did this after negotiating with the State, without our knowledge, that the City would still get 90% of the sale proceeds. I suspect that I will shortly hear that the court case is no longer necessary since the City approved the reverter release.

This is good news for the people of Perrysburg and the residents of Buffalo. The vote was 7-1 with Common Council President David Franczyk absent!!!

I do expect Trathen and Co. to still move forward for summary judgement in the pending matter to avoid an Article 78 proceeding or any attempt to reverse the reversal.

Check out Fix Buffalo Today for the latest news about this text book example of municipal malfeasance. All the updates are here: JN Adam Archive.

David

Fix Buffalo Today

[run4it]

Anyone know if there is public access to the site? I know I couldn't get into the buildings, but are we able to walk the grounds (like the Forest Ave facility)?

[DT14209]

I've heard first hand reports that numerous people have been arrested at the site. Not something you'll want to mess with.

Still wondering why this story hasn't gotten to a larger audience...

[Timmy]

how sad.that the only value is the landscape timber not the building

I could see this building being an incredible hotel, condos, time shares, assisted living facility for seniors, for vacationers, retirees, etc.

but....I guess the is no interest from even the local population to do something that could be an anchor which would better their community.