MACEDONIA: City Council overruled the mayor and agreed to give a local group 18 more months to try to save a historic house condemned six years ago.
In an emotional meeting attended by 50 people Thursday night, advocates of Longwood Manor pleaded for one more chance to save it, while opponents told the city it’s an eyesore that should be torn down.
The manor was the residence of the city’s first mayor, William Frew Long. He was elected to the post in 1962 and remained mayor until he was 96 years old, when he was reportedly the oldest mayor in the country.
Long willed his Tudor manor and property to the city when he died in 1984. The land was used for the 300-acre Longwood Park. But the house, at 1634 E. Aurora Road, has remained mostly vacant for nearly 30 years.
The Longwood Manor Historical Society made an effort to begin renovating the building 10 years ago, but didn’t get far. In 2007, the city condemned it but didn’t immediately tear it down.
Last year, the society was granted 12 months to bring the 84-year-old house up to code. The group fixed a vertical support beam and some broken windows but has been unable to repair the leaking roof.
As the society’s Feb. 28 deadline approached, members asked for an additional 18 months to come up with a plan for restoring the building. City Council agreed.
Mayor Don Kuchta, however, said it was time to give up and acquired a matching grant to help pay for the demolition. The Summit County Fiscal Office has offered to pay about half of the nearly $40,000 demolition estimate.
Kuchta said the society has been given far more time than allowed by the city charter, which requires a condemned building be demolished or restored within six months.
He acknowledged he has taken some verbal abuse from people over his stance.
“There’s a lot of people out there who hate me,” Kuchta said, “but we’re breaking the law because we’re not taking this down.”
He also defended his history of supporting the building, saying he used to play Santa Claus at the manor every year and helped raise money for its restoration by selling memorial bricks — “all to no avail.”
“The manor house is a blight on a community that I’m so proud of I could bust,” he said.
Most of the people who spoke Thursday supported the mayor, saying they didn’t want any tax money going toward renovations and that the property could be put to better use.
But society President John Cassmer made an impression with some City Council members when he said the building could become a jewel of the community. He promised the society would “build a better board” and not ask for tax dollars in renovating it.
“There is nothing to be gained by tearing it down,” he said. The society has liability insurance on the house and there is “no imminent danger” to it falling down or hurting someone.
Council voted 5-1 to give him the extra time he sought. Four votes were needed to override Kuchta’s veto.
Cassmer said the society paid for a study by the architectural firm Van Dyke Architects in 2010 that found “the condition of the building is acceptable for its age. The repairs needed are due to maintenance neglect of the building over the years. The repairs that are required are not considered major repairs.”
The city has suggested it would cost half a million dollars to fix the structure. The society says the code violations can be fixed for $78,000.
Paula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or pschleis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/paulaschleis.