The city of Oneonta Board of Public Service deemed a local fraternity house to be unsafe and imposed requirements that must be meet for the students to move back in during a meeting Thursday, March 5.
A sprinkler pipe in the Alpha Sigma Phi house at the 71 Spruce St. burst in the rear stairwell sometime during the weekend of Feb. 7-8. It was reported to the city Feb. 9. There were seven Hartwick College students living in the house at the time, according to Daily Star archives.
The Rev. Paul Messner, property contractor Kai Sabada and Hartwick students John Bangel and Matthew Katalina attended the hearing Thursday to represent the property, according to the meeting minutes.
The burst pipe caused damage to the property that made it uninhabitable, the minutes stated, “due to lack of heat and other related concerns.” The water caused subsequent damage near the fire system at the rear door, leading to an outage of fire protection monitoring at the residence.
Commissioner Mark Boshnack motioned that the board declare the property unsafe, which passed unanimously. Commissioner Ari Niki-Tobi was absent.
Commissioner Charles Hartley motioned that the property remain vacant, putting forth requirements it must meet moving forward. It must have an operational fire alarm system within 10 days, a full housing inspection within 30 days and repairs within 60 days, according to the minutes. The motion passed.
“The property is to be secured and the exterior is to be maintained and clear of trash and debris,” the minutes stated.
Steven Norris, Alpha Sigma Phi’s national senior director of housing, said Feb. 26 that cold weather and the older status of the home contributed to the pipe bursting. He said at the time that all former residents were housed and he national chapter was working with the city and contractors to ensure students can return safely to the house.
Hartwick spokesperson Gail Glover said Feb. 25 that the college had offered the students on-campus housing.