“I sit up for an extended relationship with the Village of Wellsville and the Wellsville group”
By Tarek Otero, proprietor of Iris and William LLC
“Info are cussed issues; and no matter could also be our needs, our inclinations, or the dictates of our ardour, they can not alter the state of details and proof.” – John Adams
I admire the chance to answer the Solar’s 3/31/23 response letter from the Village of Wellsville Legal professional Richard Buck concerning the Village’s provide of $32,000 to purchase a portion of my property for village parking. Mr. Buck was beneficiant in the usage of my title in his response and as such I believed it solely proper that I reply instantly. An necessary truth was omitted from Mr. Buck’s depiction of the story; the property was not then, neither is presently, on the market. It was of eager curiosity to me as a enterprise proprietor and resident of Wellsville that Village {dollars} of “over $4,500” in keeping with Buck, have been spent to appraise a property that was not on the market. Was the appraisal performed primarily based on the scale of the asphalt or was the appraisal primarily based on the tax income these areas generate to the village by means of the enterprise house owners who use them? It’s a moot level however one which ought to be thought-about as an necessary a part of this story.
Mr. Buck believes I’m utilizing a “negotiating tactic” and “making an attempt to sturdy arm the Village” into paying a number of thousand {dollars} a 12 months to lease “about 20 spots”, when the truth is the explanation I’ve not offered a quantity for the sale of my parking zone, is as a result of the parking zone will not be on the market. I’ve although, in good religion made the Village two lease presents.
I imagine, strong-arm could be an excellent phrase to explain the Village’s dealings with former house owners like Karla and Alan Hills who personal Alan Hills Carpet. You’ll discover their title will not be on the leases offered by Mr. Buck. Mr. Buck gives some historical past in his letter that over the past 50 years, the Village had “agreements” in place which (in 1970) paid “$100 a 12 months plus Village upkeep, restore and paving and “later” (in 1989) simply upkeep, restore, and paving” to the then house owners of the property. One would imagine from Mr. Buck that the Village had leases in place for 50 years however whenever you look nearer, you’ll see there are extra years with out leases in place than with. One would surprise what transpired to go from leasing the lot for $100 a 12 months plus upkeep in keeping with Buck, to $0 plus upkeep. Much more eyebrow elevating is the omitted element in Mr. Buck’s abstract of the $100 lease from 1970. That lease reads “….on the annual rental of the sum of cash paid by the proprietor or Lessee on the premises that are the subject material of this Settlement for state, county, city, college and village actual property taxes yearly, plus the sum of One Hundred {Dollars} ($100.00) per 12 months….” That small element about taxes makes that lease, in my view, a good settlement because it advantages each the Village and the property proprietor. The following 1989 lease settlement after a nine-year hole was clearly lopsided and to the profit solely of the Village and never the property proprietor as I see it. If you consider the tax income these spots generate, properly, there are sensible individuals studying this and they’ll begin to see what has transpired and the way the present marketing campaign towards me is geared towards the identical consequence.
Concerning my preliminary lease provide of $1250 per thirty days, it was not rejected by Mayor Shayler as Mr. Buck signifies in his letter. Actually, on the subsequent assembly on the topic, Mayor Shayler requested me if there was room to work in that quantity and I invited him to stroll the property. I supplied the mayor throughout that stroll to lease the parking zone to the Village for $500 per thirty days plus upkeep, paving and restore. That provide has additionally not been rejected up to now. As a matter of truth, that $500 per thirty days provide was the premise for the short-term non-public license that left the lot open in the course of the 4 months of the vacation season. Regardless of my many makes an attempt to succeed in Mayor Randy Shayler to debate a lease deal, my emails and texts have been left unanswered. It appears to me the Village solely desires to debate buying my property and refuses to debate leasing my property. As of March 1, 2023, the Village had no license or lease to make use of the property and made no try and safe a license or lease for momentary or long-term use of the lot. I continued to try to succeed in Mayor Shayler to no avail and on March 27, 2023, I had an indication positioned that the parking zone was not for public use. Individuals who parked within the lot thereafter have been issued courtesy tickets.
Final fall, out of respect for my fellow enterprise house owners I visited Chelsea’s Catering, Tim Shea’s Plumbing and Rub a Dub Coin Laundry to advise Chelsea Burdick, Tim Shea, and Mike Raptis that if there wasn’t a lease in place with the Village, the lot could also be closed to public use. Chelsea and Mike at the moment, each expressed curiosity in reserving spots for his or her enterprise use. There have been no formal lease agreements made with Chelsea Burdick or Mike Raptis as a result of the Village then expressed curiosity in quickly renting, leasing, or licensing the lot to maintain it open in the course of the holidays and did so for 3 months after which prolonged an additional month by way of February. As Mike Raptis has some devoted parking for his enterprise and Chelsea Burdick doesn’t, I’ve made room for a number of devoted spots in my lot for Chelsea’s Catering, freed from cost till this subject will get sorted out. Chelsea’s is closed this week, however they are going to have entry to the lot after they return subsequent week so their enterprise gained’t be impacted due to this dispute. I wish to acknowledge Mike Raptis and thank him for being the primary businessperson to welcome me to Wellsville and for his steerage on this matter in addition to different Village issues. Mike was so useful and welcoming to me and I wish to thank him publicly for that assist.
Mr. Buck describes the lot as having “about 20 areas” as a result of the lot hasn’t been striped but. I had the areas measured on 4/2/23 and confirmed 35 spots. I’m curious if that striping was alleged to be a part of the upkeep that was performed final summer season however I do agree with Mr. Buck that I assign no worth to the upkeep carried out on the lot earlier than I grew to become proprietor. The value I paid for the property took that into consideration and it isn’t related to any lease negotiation between me and the Village.
I selected Wellsville. I selected to purchase property in Wellsville. I selected to reside in Wellsville. I selected to grow to be part of the Wellsville group and I’m part of the “resurgence” former Trustee Timothy Colligan talks about in his letter to the editor on 3/31/23. My curiosity and funding in Wellsville is, in some small half, the explanation the Village was awarded a $4.5 million grant from New York State for the NY Ahead program. I agree with Colligan’s opinion that there’s a “parking administration subject” and I imagine that subject falls squarely on the Village to right. Mr. Colligan feedback “…. in the event you had a enterprise that required an enormous turnover of parking spots to your particular prospects, I may virtually be sympathetic to your trigger, however I don’t see that.” So, is Mr. Colligan’s place then, that I ought to donate my property to the group? Would you do the identical to your private residence or enterprise actual property within the village? Mr. Colligan would really like me to be a “good group accomplice”. What does that imply? Would you, Mr. Colligan enable successful to your property worth and resale worth by slicing off a chunk of your property within the spirit of being an excellent group accomplice? Why is it my accountability to right an issue that has existed within the Village for over 50 years, when you have been a Trustee? I’ve made a good and cheap provide to the Village to lease my property to them for $500 a month plus upkeep, restore, and paving. That’s being a “good group accomplice” as it’s honest to each events, the Village and me, and it advantages the companies and patrons of these companies.
Sure, possibly my response to dam entry to my parking zone was pushed partially by emotion as Mike Raptis commented within the Solar’s 4/3/23 article, however I’m not going to permit the Village to do to me what they’ve performed to former house owners with regard to this lot going again 31 years. The lot will not be on the market. I’m keen to lease it to the Village. If they’re unwilling, then I’ll lease it partially or totally to events.
Whatever the consequence, I sit up for an extended relationship with the Village of Wellsville and the Wellsville group and I admire once more the chance to be heard.
Learn the latest letter from the Village of Wellsville legal professional and from longtime Wellsville public servant Tim Colligan:
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