SPOTSWOOD – A municipal court judge recently fined the owner of the old Asbury Fuel building for various code-related violations.
The owner, Evangelos Dimitrakopoulos, of Edison, was given a $1,500 fine, and agreed to drop any legal action against the borough, according to borough Business Administrator Ron Fasanello. The owner also agreed to address the violations on the property, located at 47 Snowhill St., which has been in a state of disrepair.
The borough had tried since last year to contact the owner and either have repairs made or the building demolished, but did not receive any response from the owner, officials have said.
The borough eventually issued a $2,000 penalty and November began assessing a $500-per-week fine. When those went unpaid, the borough sent the owner a summons to appear in municipal court, and after two hearings, Judge Edward Herman ruled that the owner must pay the borough $1,500. Officials said Dimitrakopoulos has since paid that fine.
Residents and officials refer to the building as Asbury Fuel, though that business has not operated there in years. The building’s most recent use was for a landscaping service.
Mayor Barry Zagnit said the owner had begun to clean up contamination on the site, but left the land in its excavated, fenced-in state. He noted that violations were issues before summonses, and that the fines and court hearings could have been avoided.
Council President Curtis Stollen said the owner has wanted to improve the building, but the borough’s priority has been to make sure it was structurally sound.
“I believe the owner is interested in fixing it up,” Stollen said. “Our code enforcement officer was worried about the safety of the structure.”
The building is in the same area as the former Benny’s Tavern, whose new owner, Joe Roth, has received borough approval to renovate the building. Roth, who also owns the nearby Papa Joe’s restaurant, has approval for a retail store on the lower level of the former tavern building, and a residence upstairs.
Borough officials have said they are eager to see these buildings returned to a useful state.
“We want them to progress to the point where they are renovated and useful,” Stollen said, adding that the borough can only dictate what happens on private property if there are code violations.
The area could become a redevelopment zone, but this would have to wait until at least until the master plan revision is complete. That process would be expected to be done next year.