photos/article by Bill Cleary
HOW MUCH DID IT COST? NOW WE KNOW!-Remember the \”sweet-heart\” deal announced October 12, 2006 in the Democrat controlled \”What’s Happening In Gloucester City\” newsletter that the City had purchased the dilapidated building at Broadway and Cumberland Street. It was one of those Democrat \”puff pieces\” that came out before the election with the banner \”Great Things Are Happening\” in Gloucester City. In this article the Kilcourse administration conveniently left out some important information. In particularly, how much did it cost you and I to buy this crumbling structure?
Well thanks to the City\’s new Mayor, Bill James , bits and pieces of what has been kept secret from the public on a number of topics is slowly coming out (see the Mayor\’s Inaugural Address). As for this piece of junk the tax dollars spent totaled $425,000. In the past when a property was left to rot as this building was, the City would demolish it and charge the owner for the work. One wonders why it wasn\’t done with this decaying property.
Still more facts are missing. For example, why was the site offered to a seafood business (Reel Fresh Seafood, Bellmawr) without it being announced to the public first that the city was looking for someone to establish a business at that locale? And how was it the owner of the property was able to sell it to the City without bringing it up to code. You try to sell your property and the Housing Code Office is all over you finding cracks in the sidewalk and issuing orders to paint this or repair that.
Who is going to assume the cost for the repairs or the demolition, taxpayers or Seafood business? Did the owners of Reel Fresh Seafood put any monies towards the purchase? Is the liquor license still in operation for the former bar?
Parts of the roof and concrete have fallen off the building. Hopefully work begins on the improvements soon.
Keep coming back to ClearyNotebook as we continue our quest to find out the answers to those other secrets that have been kept from all of us for so long.
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