Neighbors Call Historic NJ Home An Eyesore
CLIFTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- People who live near a historic home in Clifton's Weasel Brook Park area say the house is in a terrible state of disrepair and that something needs to be done.
"It's just horrible," Vinny Sauro, of Clifton, said of the Vanderhoof House, erected in the 1700s. "Everything is falling apart."
"Problem is the property just hasn't been taken care of," Michael David told CBS2's Scott Rapoport.
David lives right behind the house, which is owned by Passaic County. He can see it from his backyard and is appalled by what he sees.
"These windows are broken," he described as he walked around the property. "And then the sockets are totally busted out. You can see the garbage behind this."
David said that in the 37 years he's lived at his home, the historic house has been virtually neglected.
"If you define it as something and you can't rip it down, then you must take care of it," he said.
David said he's twice sent emails to county freeholders, once in March and again in April. But he says he was ignored.
Ultimately he was told responsibility for the Vanderhoof House was with the county Parks Department and the county itself.
CBS2 put in multiple requests for an on-camera interview with the county administrator and the spokesperson for the county but was told no one was available.
A county spokesman Keith Furlong did say via email the house had been leased to an outside organization up until about a year ago and that the county has since authorized an asbestos report, which was necessary before any future work could begin, and that work on a replacement roof for the home is scheduled to begin this summer.
"The scheduled improvements will adhere to a design that is historically accurate," Furlong said.
A spokesperson said the county developed a master plan to upgrade its 11 parks back in 2013 and that it's just now getting around to Weasel Brook Park.
