City's arson response leaves a smoldering mess

A photo on the front page of today's Times Union shows the stark aftermath of the latest arson fire in Lansingburgh. The charred remainder of the house at 809 Second Avenue sits between two adjacent fire-damaged homes like a rotted tooth in an otherwise pristine set of teeth.

But, take a closer look, and you'll see the fuel arsonists look for. The plywood-covered spaces where windows used to be.

For years I have railed against the City's inaction when it comes to making property owners take care of their structures, a laxness that has led to an embarrassingly large number of boarded-up vacant residential and commercial buildings as well as boarded-up fire-damaged ones. That's why I gave the city an alternate nickname to the "Collar City." "Plywood City" is, regretably, much more descriptive and relevant these days.

In addition to the fires themselves, there are at least two other facets to the story that are troubling.

The string of arsons plaguing the 'Burgh has been going on since last summer, but only now is Mayor Lou Rosamilia taking any truly firm action -- appointing a task force to analyze the problem. Now. Months after it became obvious to all that an arsonist, or arsonists, is endangering the community.

That is reminiscent of his unveiling a snow removal plan weeks after a huge snowstorm paralyzed the city. Winter comes around every year, so an after-the-fact snow removal plan doesn't show much grasp of proper planning and governance.

I also was taken aback by one particular paragraph in the TU story about the situation. It reads, "In one of the task force's first steps, [Code Enforcement Officer Matt] McGrath will compile a list of fires in vacant buildings in Lansingburgh ... ."

I hope that is a misstatement. Otherwise, why was such a list not begun much earlier -- like when the second arson hit the same part of the City in the same month? But, a quick online search of local newspaper stories will help him put together a list of the 13 cases in a matter of minutes. OK, that done, now what?

Hey, I've got an idea. Since McGrath's title is Code Enforcement Officer, how about doing some -- let's say it all together now -- code enforcement. Maybe some of the plywood can be made to disappear, revealing the true conditions of abandoned buildings and leading to property owners being made to take care of the messes they've left behind. That would do at least as much to deter arsonists as will a task force drawing up a list.

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