WHITE LAKE, NY — The Bethel Town Board continued its campaign against unsafe and unsightly structures in the town, taking action on six separate properties.

First up was one called Villas at White Lake, a construction project that has had no work done on it in 10 years. The project called for removing 17 old bungalows and constructing 17 townhouses on a 2.5-acre parcel on Route 55 across from the town hall.

The foundations of some of the new buildings were under construction, but then the project was abandoned, and the foundations remain.

Supervisor Dan Sturm said the owner of the property has not responded to violation letters.

An engineer inspected the property and suggested that to make the property safe, the foundations must be filled in or surrounded with new fencing. A public hearing on the matter is scheduled for August 10.

Regarding another property on Lee Cole Road, Sturm said the town had received a letter from a lawyer requesting the town to hold off on the demolition of the building to give the lawyer time to get familiar with the case, which the town agreed to do.

Regarding the old boathouse on Route 17B at Mattison Road, a lawyer threatened litigation if the town moved forward with the demolition of four buildings on the property. Sturm asked the board to set another public hearing on this property to be sure that all of the appropriate steps in the process were followed, and the board agreed.

Public hearings were set on three other properties: on 527 Lt. Brender Highway, 13 W. Sullivan St. in Smallwood and 96 E. Thompson, also in Smallwood.

When the town board decides to spend money to take down an unsafe structure, or otherwise spend money to make a property safe, the cost is added to the tax bill of the property owner. If the owner does not pay the tax bill, Sullivan County pays the town the money due for taxes, and eventually the county will foreclose on the property, which will end up in the county tax auction.