Town Board Takes Aim at Cleaning Up Blighted Properties

Smithtown's elected officials are looking to move forward with the cleanup of several blighted residential properties, if their owners won't tackle it themselves. 

Smithtown Town Board will hold a public meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Eugene A. Cannataro Senior Citizen Center, 420 Middle Country Road, Smithtown. Their agenda includes three public hearings relating to the cleanup of blighted residential properties. 

The first property being considered is 15 August Crescent in Commack, where Smithtown officials are considering entering the property for removal of "overgrown grass, weeds, rubbish, and vegetation" for property maintenance. 

The blighted home at 244 Fourth Street in St. James, owned by Kevin P. Johnston, is also on the town's agenda. While the property has been spared a public hearing as the property owner has made efforts to clean up, town officials will weight whether the progress has come far enough. 

The third blighted property up for a public hearing is 258 Seventh St. in St. James, reportedly owned by George and Marlene Verdadero. Smithtown Town Board will weight whether to enter the property to clean up "overgrown and unsightly tall grass and weeds as well as assorted rubbish and debris." 

The Town of Smithtown has already spent more than $101,000 cleaning up and demolishing blighted homes, including 7 Hadley Drive and 30 Helen Avenue in Smithtown. 

The most recent building to have been demolished is 436 Edgewood Avenue, whose owner is listed as the Church of Gospel Ministry. Shielded from the road by towering bamboo, it was a small ranch house that has been left to decay in the neighborhood.