A fire destroyed four buildings in the village of Milford on July 18, a little more than two weeks ago. Now, the community is coming together to help those directly affected.
Keith Darragh, the director of the Otsego County Code Enforcement Department, said that the county code office was requested on the scene the day of the incident. The office did its best to speak with the property owners to decide the best steps moving forward.
The code office typically works with the local fire department and emergency services to follow the investigation stage and understand when the property will be cleared.
“We don’t want to hinder their operation if they’re still investigating at that time,” Darragh said.
Darragh added that while he does not yet know exactly what the clean up process will look like at the downtown Milford properties, county local law usually permits 30 days for clean up procedure to be completed.
In this case, however, if the property is still being investigated, code enforcement can give leeway to the owners, adjusting the 30-day timeline.
“We try to work with the people that this happens to and have conversations with them and get something done in a timely manner,” Darragh said, “but sometimes insurance companies are notorious for fighting with their clients which can take longer than the 30-days timeframe.”
“You lost your business, you lost everything you own, and now you don’t have anything to go back on, to fall on,” he continued. “People got to understand that you need to take that into consideration when it comes to these types of situations.”
There are different steps in place for rebuilding commercial and residential buildings, Darragh said. Owners are told to coordinate with the village to ensure they are complying with any land regulations and setbacks. Then, after receiving a set of plans from an architect or an engineer, a person can apply with the code enforcement office.
Following the application process, a project would likely go into review. For residential buildings, a permit would usually either be issued or an applicant would be contacted to answer any remaining questions within seven to 10 business days. With commercial buildings, the process can sometimes take up to 30 days, Darragh added.
After an owner receives a permit, an inspection with code enforcement must be scheduled. Once any remaining documents are completed, a final inspection is performed and if all goes successfully, code enforcement would issue a certificate for the property.
The fire broke out in the early morning. The four buildings destroyed included the {span}Milford Corner Store at 69 S. Main St., {span}Sybil’s Yarn Shop at 65 S. Main St, a vacant house and a residential home.{/span}{/span}
The South Main and West Main street properties are fenced off to prevent kids or animals from getting inside, especially with potential for a collapse, Darragh added.
Though Darragh said his office was not aware of any grant funding available to assist those impacted in the fire, the community has rallied together during the last two weeks to help raise money for these individuals.
Village Clerk Pat Winsor, who has lived in Milford for her entire adult life, said several events are planned for the upcoming weeks to help raise money for those affected.
On Aug. 16, a music event will be held at the Elm Inn in Milford. At Rigby Hand Craft in Cooperstown, there will be a yarn sale on Aug. 16 to raise money for Sybil’s Yarn Shop.
Additionally, a special two-hour train ride is scheduled to be held at the Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad from 3-5 p.m. Aug. 17. Boarding is set to begin at 2:30 p.m. at the Milford Depot, and tickets will be sold by donation.
Last week, community leaders held a meeting at the Milford Methodist Church for those interested in becoming part of the community-wide relief efforts, which saw more than 80 people attend. Even young people in the local neighborhood are doing their part, Winsor said, with one girl setting up a lemonade stand on state Route 166 to donate the proceeds.
Donations are being sent to the Milford Methodist Church.
“Community organizations and local people could work together to make this happen for the people affected,” Winsor said.