Initiative boards-up houses to prevent fires

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Initiative boards-up houses to prevent fires

By JOLEEN FERRIS

UTICA - A big part of the arson problem in Utica is all the vacant homes in the city. Virtually all vacant house fires - especially in buildings where there is no power - are intentionally set.

But there is a move now to make these fire-magnets tamper-proof.

Plywood and nails don't do the trick. A person who wants to get into a vacant house badly enough can just walk around the back, where it's more private, and take their time prying it off.

Now this board-up job on the other hand, has staying power; this house at Park Ave and South Street in Utica was boarded up ten years ago during the city's first string of arsons.

This is how FEMA - the Federal Emergency Management Agency - does it.

"They actually board the inside and the outside of the home as well as putting a bar between the two and the fire department knows just where to cut that board in case they have to make an emergency entrance to that," said Daniel LaBella, Utica Public Safety Commissioner.

Cornhill People United, headed up at the time by Cassandra Harris-Lockwood, got FEMA training and money to board up a series of homes.

You can spot them - the double 2x4s are still intact, 10 years later.

In some ways, it's a job too well done.

"You know, one thing you have to realize...when you FEMA-board a house, it's pretty much airtight, so it becomes a circulation problem if you were to sell that house down the road," Harris-Lockwood said.

That's okay, though, because the city owns enough vacant homes that are in such bad shape, the only thing in their future is the wrecking ball - 33 of them to be exact - on a demolition list.

Harris-Lockwood points out FEMA-Boarding isn't only about preventing arsons.

"It's terrifying for people to watch miscreants, junkies, crackheads go in and out of the fronts of buildings and they have no recourse," she said.

So what's the holdup? Why not FEMA-Board them all?

Money, of course.

Right now Arson Task Force officials are examining whether or not a grant from Congressman Arcuri can be used to FEMA-Board the city's worst vacant homes.

Sunday, Jul 20 at 3:23 PM W utica cit wrote ...

whether these houses are boarded up or not it doesnt prevent someone from doing what they want. there is nothing like driving through the city every day and looking at unsightly homes that have been so longly abandoned. if they are to be torn down it will actually save money from wasting time boarding them and it will look better

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Saturday, Jul 19 at 11:27 AM Hello wrote ...

This is how you board up HUD houses! Why is it that in the 5 bouroghs of the city this has been practiced for over 20 years, but up here once 10 years ago? I'm sure the Mayor has some family members who own some saws and can do this for a good rate.gee Mayor how about $400 per window?

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Saturday, Jul 19 at 11:12 AM utica resident wrote ...

We do not want eye sores! The national Gaurd came in years ago to help with the demolitions of several boarded up houses. TEAR THEM DOWN and it will make Utica look better and a place where people want to move to. How about the local government spending LESS on themselves and more on the city that VOTED THEM IN! WE want to be heard.

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Saturday, Jul 19 at 1:07 AM Pepe Ed wrote ...

Yeah that will work - they just take the plywood OFF to make a table ..

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Friday, Jul 18 at 10:30 PM west utica wrote ...

long time ago they had army guys help knock house down and saved the city money why not do that again and it wont cost down they do it on there two week a year try this again and maybe you can get these hosues down

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Friday, Jul 18 at 7:49 PM Girard A. Plante wrote ...

Cassandra Harris-Lockwood has always been a voice of reason. I vividly recall the arsons 12 and 13 years ago. I lived then in my family home a block from Proctor High School. Yet all neighbors there and across Utica were frightened as many publicly spoke and editorialized about arsonists' outsmarting the police and fire task force. The ONLY way to extinguish arson is to DEMOLISH vacant buildings. Some stood empty since the early 1980s. A problem ignored then haunts innocent citizens still.

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