Discussions about Milan Adamovsky’s IOOF building in downtown Oil City came to a head Thursday during a hearing to consider whether the building, which had part of its roof blow off in an April storm, is a public nuisance.
During the hearing, held by Oil City Council following its regular meeting, both city officials and Adamovsky had their say.
Building owner Adamovsky and his lawyer, Erie attorney John Knox with Sebald, Hackwelder and Knox, attended the hearing.
Long spoke about being called to Seneca Court April 1, the day of a bad windstorm, for reports of a lightning strike where he found “a pretty large hole in the roof” and no fire.
Later in the day while assessing the storm damage, Long said Oil City Fire Department’s aerial truck was used to take pictures and they saw a large hole in the roof of the IOOF building, commonly referred to as the Odd Fellows building at 220 to 226 Seneca St.
Long said they realized that the wind from the storm had blown a large piece of the roof off the IOOF building which landed on Seneca Court, resulting in significant damage to the roofs of both buildings.
“My concern was the rest of the roof blowing off and damaging a car or a building,” Long said.
After contacting Adamovsky and with his permission, Long and Homan Roofing went up on the roof, Long said.
He added that the roofer told him the roof would be OK overnight but needed to be fixed quickly.
Long also noted that part of the parapet fell and it took out electrical equipment, so several people at a nearby bed and breakfast were displaced due to the power being shut off.
Greene then testified that she had inspected the interior of the building the afternoon of April 1 where she saw insulation down in the stairwell and a “great big hole in the roof you could see the sky through.”
The walkway between the IOOF building and a neighboring building was full of bricks, shingles, underlayment and other debris, Greene said, adding that the debris hadn’t been there two days before the storm.
Shingles and nails were also all around the building, she said.
Greene condemned the building and sent a citation to Adamovsky on April 25 citing him for violations of the 2015 International Property Maintenance Code. In the citation she said she also referenced issues she had cited him for in 2022 but that he never remedied or responded to.
The city provided many pictures taken by Greene and Long of the damage to both buildings as well as a USPS tracking showing a piece of mail, presumably the citation Greene sent, in transit to Adamovsky.
Greene said the citations she sent to Adamovsky were also filed with a district judge and that Adamovsky has not responded to the citations.
Adamovsky’s side of the story
Adamovsky said Greene contacted him about the roof of the IOOF building. He is a New Jersey resident and noted that he lives far away from Oil City.
When he was in Oil City on a trip after the storm, Adamovsky said he went and looked at the roof of the IOOF building with a roofer and then the roofer tried to put a tarp on the roof but was unsuccessful.
He called the storm “an act of God” and said the situation was not a result of negligence and that there was nothing he could have done to prevent it.
He called the IOOF building “one of the most solid structures” made of a steel frame with concrete floors and said he was not concerned about the water damage.
Adamovsky said he plans to take the debris out of the IOOF building and fill dumpsters with it. The dumpsters are expected to arrive today (Friday), Knox said.
A document summitted to council by Knox said Adamovsky also intended to continue clearing out debris, get a temporary covering on the roof until more permanent roof repairs are made and board up the broken windows in the building.
He said he plans to “temporarily secure” the roof of the IOOF building, which is “exactly what we did with 202 Center, which is our warehouse,” a reference to the former Grandview Estates building at 202 Center St. that Adamovsky also owns.
Adamovsky added that there was also water damage to 308 Seneca St., the National Fuel Gas building, that he owns too.
“I come up here regularly. I use the 202 Center for my own storage, I use it like a warehouse,” Adamovsky said.
The document provided by Knox said 202 Center “Suffered extensive roof damages in an April 2023 wind storm.”
The document says a big tarp has been installed on the roof of 202 Center, two dumpsters of debris have been taken out of that building and waterproofing coatings have begun to be applied to that roof while he waits for new rubber for the roof, among other measures such as humidifiers and fans that have been put in that building.
“Only because people do not see it doesn’t mean I’m not doing work,” Adamovsky said, adding “I haven’t made myself inaccessible,” noting the three public meetings he held in the spring of 2021.
But he hasn’t given any substantial updates on his plans since that time for the five buildings he bought up in town.
He claimed he had not received the citations and letters Greene had sent him and said it “would have been nice” if the city had reached out to him by other means upon not hearing back from him about the letters.
“I had no idea about the hearing. I have a lot of people go collect mail, we are behind. To get my attention, send me something that requires my signature,” Adamovsky said. “It’s easy to get in touch with me… I have made it very publicly clear I am interested in Oil City.”
He then went on to complain that it is very difficult to find local contractors to work on his projects at what he considers reasonable prices.
“I am remaining private, so I am not doing interviews,” Adamovsky told the newspaper after the meeting. “I have made it public that I wish to remain private…I hope the community will respect that.”
Joe Boland, president of the Colonel Drake Cultural Alliance that is working to restore the old Lyric Theatre, also expressed concerns about the safety of the IOOF building.
The Alliance is pouring $2.3 million into the Lyric next door to the IOOF building and would like to know that the building “will stay where it is at,” Boland said.
After the meeting, city manager Mark Schroyer said the city is looking for compliance, not to punish anyone, and the ball is in Adamovsky’s court at this point.
Council will meet with the city solicitor Bob Varsek to discuss the evidence presented at the hearing and then make a decision on whether the IOOF building is a public nuisance, Schroyer said.
There is no timeline for when the decision will be made.
