The Demolition of 109 E. Main Street

The property at 109 E Main Street has been the focus of a lot of attention lately.

 Here are the facts:

1.     January 5, 2017, the first notice of violation was written on the property at 109 E. Main Street on. This is not a typo it was in 2017!

2.     February 18, 2018, the owner of the building hired a structural engineer who contacted the construction department in Millville in writing and in person regarding the condition of the building.

3.     March 8. 2018, the construction department sent a letter to the owner of 109 E. Main Street and gave the owner until March 22, 2018 to allow the city to enter the building.

4.     March 26, 2018 at 2:32pm, the construction official notified the acting city engineer, Brian Prohowich, asking him to have someone look at the site. The engineering department notified the municipal administrator to ask the parks department to cordon off the area and shore and brace the building and to notify the construction department to proceed with their normal protocol in dealing with this type of situation.

5.     March 26, 2018 at 6:42pm, the municipal administrator, Regina Burke, who is also the purchasing agent, sent out an email that an emergency contract had been issued and the building was to be demolished in the morning.

6.     March 27, 2018, the construction official issued a notice to the owner of 109 E. Main Street to demolish the building or correct the structure by April 6, 2018.

7.     March 27, 2018, City solicitor Schroeder sent a letter to the owner of the property telling him that the building would be demolished.

8.     March 29, 2018, the city received a letter from the Pennoni engineering firm stating that they had inspected 109 E Main Street to determine if it could be safely demolished without impacting the adjacent properties. The letter stated barricades and street closures had been erected surrounding the project site and that the building should be demolished but never discussed the impact on the adjacent properties.

9.     March 30, 2018, another letter from City solicitor Schroeder  to the owner of 109 E. Main Street advising him that the property would be discussed at the April 3, 2018 commission meeting.

10. April 2, 2018, Perryman’s excavating sent a scope of work document to the city of Millville with the contact person being Wayne Caregnato, the zoning official. The total contract was for $1,204,512.72 with the first payment due on April 3, 2018 for work that had been done from March 26, 2018 to April 3, 2018. The $1,204,512,72 price did not include the tipping fees charged by the Cumberland County Improvement Authority for the debris from the demolition. Included was an invoice that states the zoning officer and Mayor Santiago called Perryman’s Excavating on Billy Perryman’s personal cell phone and asked him to report to 109 E Main Street for an emergency demolition.

11. The city went to court on April 10th and the judge ruled the city can proceed with the demolition.

On the agenda for the commission meeting on April 17, 2018 is an ordinance to bond 1.5 million dollars for this demolition. Here are the facts and questions about the 1.5 million dollars about the demolition for 109 E Main Street:

1.     There was never a bid for this demolition. How does the city – specifically Mayor Santiago and the zoning officer decide who to call to demolish this building? Millville operates under the commission form of government meaning the Mayor cannot make these decisions alone. All 5 commissioners must vote on this.

2.     How does the city know this is a fair price for the demolition without a bid?  The city received a quote to demolish the Fath Building, which is connected to an adjoining building and is much bigger than 109 E. Main Street. The quote was $300,000. As part of the court case, in the appraisal of the entire Wheaton Factory at 200-300 G Street are demolition costs. The cost was well under $1,000,000. With all the delays that have occurred so far Mayor Santiago’s Team should have put the project out to bid.

3.     Why and on whose authority is Commissioner Udalovas excluded from any participation in this problem?  It is her department. Under the Commission form of government the Mayor does not have the legal authority to take over another Commissioner’s department nor the right to tell another Commissioner not to speak her mind.

4.     Pennoni was a heavy contributor to Team Santiago’s election.

5.     The bond ordinance costs the city in additional lawyer fees to draw up the ordinance not to mention the interest that will have to be paid.

6.     If this was an emergency why wasn’t it torn down immediately especially after the Judge ruled the city could?

7.     How can a contractor give a price to perform a job when the specifications                 have not been prepared? The City expects to have the specifications for demolition by next week. Four weeks after the contract was awarded.

8.     How could work have been done without a certification of funds from the city’s Chief Financial Officer, Marcella Shepard? The law requires a certification from the CFO that funds are available.

This “demolition” is a clear “rush to judgment” by a Mayor who thinks he is in charge of the city and is running the city as a dictatorship. The truth is that he is one member of a 5 person governing body. The mayor’s only extra authority is to chair the meetings and make a few selected appointments under the Walsh Act. When will the other commissioners stand up and have a voice. Commissioner Parent has been in office before under the Walsh Act. When will he act as an equal to the mayor?

Rumor has it that this demolition is being done to ready the site for a new police building. The Mayor wants a new police building for two reasons. 1. Vineland and Bridgeton got one and 2. The CCIA, which will get the contract to build it, wants to continue to grow its empire by spreading around political jobs and payoffs. Remember the Freeholders control the Mayor. The Freeholders control the funding of Santiago’s political patronage job at sheriff’s department.

 Here are some final questions: What is this commission thinking? Think of all that could be done with 1.5 million dollars and this demolition is what is being done? At the very least shouldn’t the demolition have been sent out to bid?