No deal on sewer line for Legion building

As published in the Record Journal on Thursday February 14, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD — The deal between the town and a potential buyer of the American Legion building next to Town Hall may fall through.

At the Town Council’s meeting Wednesday, Councilor Jason Zandri proposed making the town 50 percent financially responsible, up to $20,000, for a new sewer line from the building through the parade ground, connecting to the main on South Main Street. The motion failed on a 4-4 tie vote.

After the meeting, Joe Gouveia, who has agreed to buy the building from the town for $75,000 and convert it into two apartments, said he is “definitely considering” not going through with the deal, which has yet to be finalized because the sewer issue.

“It’s dead,” Gouveia said. “It’s back to where it was years ago.”

Rosemary Rascati, Nick Economopoulos, Robert Parisi and Vincent Cervoni voted against the motion. Craig Fishbein could not attend.

The sewer issue arose after an investigation by the Water and Sewer Division determined that the sewer line hooking the South Main Street building to a main on Center Street had been sheared. Vincent Mascia, a senior town engineer, said the break in the line appears to have occurred near a handicapped- access ramp that protrudes from the building at 33-35 S. Main St., a property owned by the First Congregational Church of Wallingford .

Gouveia said he has already invested about $13,000 into purchasing the building, and is frustrated a deal could not be finalized Wednesday night. Running a new line through the parade ground could cost $27,000 to well over $30,000, according to rough estimates obtained by Gouveia. Several councilors asked Gouveia if he could wait for a solid estimate before they took any action, but Gouveia felt that would take weeks to months and that costs would keep piling up.

After the meeting, Gouveia was visibly frustrated that the Town Council could provide him no direction on what to do next.

“At some point, you have to pull away from the table,” said Gouveia’s attorney, Jerry Farrell Jr.

The town bought the building at a foreclosure auction in 1994 for $190,000 with the intent of razing it and using the property for Town Hall expansion or additional parking. But after years of litigation, a New Haven Superior Court judge ruled in February 2011 that the building, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, could not be demolished. Previous attempts to sell the building have failed.

Councilor John LeTourneau, who voted for Zandri’s motion, said he was frustrated that it didn’t pass. He has not lost hope that Gouveia will buy the American Legion building, though.

“I think now, it’s too early,” he said, citing an emotional meeting. “The dust needs to settle a little bit. Things need to settle down for a few days.”