Almost two years later, wall still in disrepair

A retaining wall on Midland Avenue had to be made safe by the Village of Port Chester after a property owner did not make necessary repairs to it in a timely manner upon obtaining a building permit.

According to Village Manager Christopher Steers, the property owner of 61-63 Armett St. was carrying out work on the site without the necessary permit. A portion of the wall, which is located between Sands Street and Armett Street, fell onto the nearby sidewalk around August 2018.

“(The Police Department) contacted Code Enforcement who responded to the scene and issued a stop work order,” stated Steers. “(Department of Public Works) secured the sidewalk after Code Enforcement had the owner remove the fallen debris from the sidewalk and street.”

The owner was subsequently fined. He obtained the building permit but did not make the repairs soon enough, so the Village made it safe for pedestrian use through a court order.

The order directed the property owner to complete the repairs within 30 days or authorize the Village to make it safe.

“(The) Village undertook limited work removing loose materials, grading, and placing large concrete blocks a few courses high as a temporary measure,” Steers stated.

According to the Town of Rye 2019 Assessment Roll, 63 Armett St. is owned by New Rochelle resident Luis Guiracocha.

A May 2019 Board of Trustees resolution states the village engineer confirmed in a report the wall is a threat to public safety and needs to be repaired as soon as possible.

“It is not the Village’s responsibility to rebuild the wall; that cost and effort falls on the property owner,” the village manager stated. “Further, the property owner is responsible for the Village’s cost for making (the) wall safe as well.”

The preliminary cost is about $6,500 for labor and materials, according to Steers.

“Additional costs are being calculated. The final amount will be placed as a tax lien on the property if the owner does not reimburse same.”