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ONEONTA HOTEL CASE IN COURT

Lawyer: City Hall Won't

Take Blame For Deaths

By PARKER FISH • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com

COOPERSTOWN – In the first court hearing in City Hall efforts to evict tenants from the deteriorating former Oneonta Hotel building, City Attorney David Merzig made the city's opinion very clear.

The Building at 195 Main St. (Ian Austin/AllOTSEGO.com)

“We’re at the end of our ropes," Merzig said today in state Supreme Court here. "We are not going to be held responsible if there is a fire in that building and 20 people die in downtown Oneonta.”

After ordering  building owners Melania and Nicolae Pervu to fix multiple building code violations, the city deemed the building unsafe last November and stated that the Pervus had until April 30 to comply with the building codes before evictions would take place.

Merzig explained that those code violations were not rectified, and the city is looking to move forward with eviction proceedings as soon as possible.

“It is the city’s position that that ship has already sailed,” said Merzig, citing the nine-month window the city gave the owners.

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