The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Supervisor appointed to fill vacancy
Hotel Oneida officially deemed a nuisance property
ONEIDA, N.Y.>>
There’s a new face among the Oneida supervisors.
Following the April resignation of former Republican supervisor Scott Henderson, Republican Supervisor John Reinhardt was the lone Madison County representative for the constituents of Wards 1-2-3 in the City of Oneida.
At Tuesday’s City of Oneida Common Council meeting, the vacant supervisor post was officially filled.
Democrat Magaret Milman-Barris, chosen by Mayor Leo Matzke to fill the vacancy, was sworn in by City of Oneida Clerk Sue Pulverenti to begin the meeting, bringing Oneida’s number of supervisors back to four prior to elections slated for November.
Milman-Barris had already announced her intentions to run for the post in the coming elec- tion. However, as mayor, Matzke had the option of appointing someone to fill the post as per city law.
Milman-Barris is a geologist employed with FPM Remediations, an environmental consulting firm in Oneida. She serves on the board of directors for Celebration Children’s Center in Canastota, the Madison County Democratic Committee, and the Oneida City Democratic Committee. She is married with three children and a dog.
Milman-Barris said she believes that government works best when many people participate. Ethics, honesty, transparency, and treating all people respectfully – that is what she strives for. “I know that Oneida is a very family-oriented, tightknit community. We deserve the very best in representation in the county government,” she said.
In other council news, another public hearing on Hotel Oneida, another missed meeting for owner Robert Sullivan of Sullivan Contracting based in Sauquoit. City Attorney Nadine
Bell said she reached out to the Hotel Oneida owner via email and physical mail but had not received any correspondence in return. Councilors, seemingly tired with the lack of communication from Sullivan, elected to deem the property a nuisance. However, because the property was not found structurally unsafe by a structural engineering report obtained via a warrant, councilors elected not to order remediation underChapter 34 of the City Code.
Just because the council did not order remediation does not mean there are not other avenues in which to pursue improvements to the city landmark. Bell explained that although councilors did not elect to tap the powers established in Chapter 34, the city can still pursue improvements to the property via the Fire Marshal’s office, an avenue the council selected as they elected to close the public hearing.
“It is a public nuisance,” Ward 4 Councilor Helen Acker said. “We don’t want to go through another two weeks of this bologna.”
Ward 3 Councilor Erwin Smith said, “This has gone on too long.”
Three additional properties were introduced to the council as possible public nuisances, including 216 E. Elm St., 522 Sconondoa St., and 117 E. Sands St. For each property, Assistant Fire Marshal Dennis Fields foundmultiple local and international code violations and included descriptions of each property in his reports to the council:
216 E. Elm St.
“[T]he front porch of the building is dilapidated and decaying. The front porch roof is in disrepair, along with holes in the floor due to rotted materials.”
522 Sconondoa St.
“[T]he building is unsecured, dilapidated and failing. The building is abandoned according to the Code of the City of Oneida, Section 34-6.”
117 E. Sands St.
“[ T]he building is dilapidated and failing. The porches are dilapidated and failing. The exterior has peeling paint and exposed wood, the fascia is rotting and has holes, along with several broken windows.”
In other property news, Bell inquired about an easement for the new owner of 140 Madison St., the former home of the Madison House. The property owner, who was not named at the meeting, is seeking an easement for parking in the gravel lot behind the former restaurant. The lot is currently used for some parking in the downtown area, but it is unmarked and unofficial.
Supervisor Joe Magliocca, who was joined at the meeting by Reinhardt and the aforementioned Milman-Barris, urged the council to further investigate the potential for parking at the location.
“Now is the time to have that discussion. There’s a lot of opportunity there,” he said, adding that officials need to take a look at the piece on a tax map and work with all the different property owners who share a piece or a border to facilitate greater opportunity for downtown parking.
Councilors also agreed that more research was necessary before giving an answer.
“Right now it’s just a gravel spot,” said Ward 6 Councilor Tom Simchik. “Is it technically considered parking? Will we have to stripe it? Maintain it?”
Ward 1 Councilor Al Cohen added, “We certainly want to assist them, but we have to do our research.”
Owned by the Manaseri family 1999 to 2014, the former downtown staple served its last meal on May 30, 2014, according to previous reports. The Madison House, formerly named Gussie’s before the Manaseris bought it, had been a downtown establishment since 1852. Local legend has it that President AbrahamLincoln once visited the site.