North Raquette Road property cited for multiple code violations, raw sewage dumping on ground

MASSENA — Another abandoned property is causing issues in Massena, this time for the town code enforcement officer. 

Code Enforcement Officer Patrick O’Brien updated town board members of issues with a property on North Raquette Road, which has been abandoned “for some time.” 

During the May board meeting, O’Brien told board members the property had received six different complaints in recent weeks. 

But upon investigation, he was unable to immediately track down the owner. 

Remnants of previous tenants were also left behind, including a yard full of garbage. 

The issues were even larger than that, however, as the location did not have a real septic system, O’Brien said. 

“As I was doing the inspection of that property, I also discovered that their septic system is literally just a PVC pipe coming out of the basement and into the ground, not even out into the ground, but on top of the ground. So, we’re addressing that currently,” he said.

As of the meeting, O’Brien said he was still working through who actually owned the property. 

He said ensuring the records with the county are up to date is the first hurdle. Then finding an address to contact the owner would be next. 

“Once we figure out who owns it, it’s actually finding them because address information is pretty sketchy,” he said.

O’Brien said he would continue to work with the county to identify the owner and further address the issues with the property. 

In other news, O’Brien said a new issue arose with the former St. Lawrence Centre Mall, with lighting complaints reaching the office. 

The location, now an industrial complex, has been dealing effectively with a myriad of code violations, O’Brien said. 

“We received complaints that the mall lighting was ineffective for safety and too bright. We mention nuisance light in the code, as does the state, but there’s really no definition,” O’Brien said. 

Despite having a light meter to determine the brightness of the lights, O’Brien said there is nothing specifically in state or local code. 

O’Brien said he has reached out to the owners of the complex, who were very receptive, and requested a contractor come back to the location to angle the lights down to address the issues in the meantime. 

The change comes after O’Brien cited the complex for not having sufficient exterior lighting or parking lights. He said the structure is “pretty well lit up now.” 

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