An abandoned service station on Glen Road in Sandy Hook that officials say is providing a suboptimal impression for visitors coming into the village center will be demolished in the coming weeks, and a deteriorating residential home at 48 Main Street has been condemned and is under foreclosure - with expectations that it will either be fully renovated or demolished.Situations ResolvedThe Bee following the meeting that the site will basically be left as a flat developable parcel, and will open up views to the small parkway along the Pootatuck River to visitors entering town through that Sandy Hook "gateway."click here.

These are just two of the properties that have come under scrutiny by the town since the enactment of a blight ordinance in 2013. On July 5, Director of Planning George Benson provided the Board of Selectmen with an update on the status of these and other properties that have either already been cleaned up or are facing fines or other action because they remain in violation of the ordinance.

According to the ordinance language, a property or owner may come under enforcement action or face fines under the town's blight ordinance if at least one of the following circumstances exist:

*Conditions that pose a serious threat to the safety, health, and general welfare of the community, as determined by the Anti-Blight Enforcement Officer;

*Conditions that attract, harbor, or conceal illegal activity as documented by the police department. Any premises not being adequately maintained may be subject to enforcement if one or more following conditions exists:

*Contains any building or structure that is open to the elements, has collapsed, or is missing walls, roofs, windows, doors;

*Contains any building or structure that is unable to provide shelter, or serve the purpose for which it was constructed due to significant damage, dilapidation, decay, or severe animal, rodent, vermin, or insect infestation, or:

*The premises is in the public view and, as determined by the anti-blight enforcement officer, is neglected or abandoned.

According to the ordinance language, enforcement may occur if a premises contains material or equipment that is incapable of performing the function for which it is designed, including, but not limited to:

*Discarded or unused materials or equipment such as unregistered motor vehicles, boats, sporting and recreation vehicles that may be missing parts, not complete in appearance, or in an obvious state of disrepair or decay;

*Parts of the aforementioned motor vehicles, boats, sporting and recreation vehicles and items to include, but not be limited to, household or commercial furniture, appliances, drums, cans, boxes, scrap metal, tires, batteries, containers, and garbage in the public view.

During his presentation, Mr Benson gave selectmen a list of five other local properties besides the Main Street residence that are under current enforcement. A violation issued in April for 2 Grays Plain Road, he said, was expected to spur the homeowner to obtain a building permit to repair a blighted structure on the property.

As of July 14, the Town Building Department had no record of a permit being issued at that address.

Mr Benson reported that another property at 4 Possum Ridge Road has been foreclosed on, and is in the process of being cleaned up. Another foreclosure at 102 Underhill Road has cleared the way for Newtown officials to work with the bank holding the deed to remedy the violation there.

The planning director told selectman that no forward progress has occurred regarding a barn demolition at 19 Ox Hill Road, and that the town has been unsuccessful in identifying an owner of a blighted parcel at 19 Cedarhurst Trail.

Turning to enforcement cases that have been closed and/or resolved, Mr Benson reported that blighted buildings have been demolished at 57 Church Hill Road, 67 Church Hill Road, 30 Hawleyville Road, and 31 Great Hill Road. A lien has been filed on the Great Hill property, he said.

A barn at 22 Washington Avenue has been demolished, and Mr Benson stated that a house next door will be coming down soon. He added that remaining barn debris is slated to be removed, as well.

During the July 5 meeting, selectmen approved a $25,000 transfer that is expected to cover the cost of remediating and demolishing the former service garage at 7 Glen Road. Mrs Llodra told

"On occasion we have to use the blight ordinance strategically as an entry point to legally remedying blight situations," Mrs Llodra said. "Just having the ordinance on the books has had an effect on those who may not otherwise keep their properties up to community standards."

The first selectmen said while town and state-owned properties are not subject to enforcement under the ordinance, the 7 Glen Road property, which was taken by the town under eminent domain, will be "subject to the same standards as private owners."

"A lot of work is being done by adjacent property owners and the town to improve and promote Sandy Hook Center as a destination and an important local business district, so having that building there doesn't present a welcoming image, and it offers no economic or aesthetic benefit to the area," Mrs Llodra said.

To review the local Blight Ordinance,