Town Meeting member Richard Serkey has long campaigned to get the town to do something about its most notorious blighted property – the former site of Bert’s restaurant at the entrance to Long Beach on Warren Avenue.
His persistence may finally be paying off.
The retired local attorney has spoken about Bert’s four times over 13 months during the public comment portion of Select Board meetings. He’s also written letters to the Plymouth Independent about the site. In his most recent one, Serkey reiterated steps officials could take to address the problem.
He urged the Select Board to schedule a hearing to approve “a complete inspection of the building to determine if the building constitutes a public nuisance under state and municipal law.”
Assuming the dilapidated structure is found to be a public nuisance, he said, the Select Board should vote to “order its demolition” and seek funding through the Finance Committee to raze it and clear the land. That expenditure would then become a lien on the property and thus, he said, ultimately not come out of the town’s budget.
The site is owned by the heirs of George Demeter, a Boston real estate developer and banker who bought it in 1994 from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. That company took it over after Plymouth Five Cents Savings Bank, which had foreclosed on the property, went belly up in 1992.
After Bert’s closed, a series of short-lived restaurants operated at the address. The building has been empty for 12 years, ravaged by storms and neglect.
The property is assessed by the town at $1,448,700, and the real estate taxes – more than $18,000 annually – are being paid.
On Tuesday evening, Serkey spoke before the Select Board once again, and detailed – again – what he believes should be done.
“We’ve been told for years that a project is in the works for this site by a proposed buyer,” he said. “That buyer will undoubtably need approval from the Zoning Board and the first argument he will make to the Zoning Board will be that approval of this project will start with the removal of this eyesore. It’s time to decouple the demolition of the existing building from approval of a new building.”
He asked Select Board members to put the topic on a future meeting agenda.
Acknowledging Serkey’s argument later in the meeting, board member Richard Quintal said a possible demolition plan “warrants a conversation.”
Chair Kevin Canty said he believes the “next steps” should involve conferring with town counsel and inspectional services “about what our options are so we can make an informed decision.”
If the board follows what Serkey recommends, Canty said, it will require scheduling a public hearing and notifying the owners.
The Bert’s site is “unfortunately, not the only abandoned or derelict structure in the community,” he said, “so I would prefer a solution that would be repeatable for [other properties]…I think a comprehensive solution should be examined and then we can take appropriate action as the board sees fit.”
The board did not formally schedule a public discussion on the matter.
Last year, the property’s owners floated a plan for a four-story building that would feature a restaurant, lounge, and outdoor decks. They wanted to lease part of the town-owned parking lot on the north side of the building but talks with officials stalled. Now a new plan is reportedly in the works between the owners and a developer, but so far, no details have been made public. The parking lot likely would still be an issue.
Mark Pothier can be reached at mark@plymouthindependent.org.