Sullivan Co. FFs Burn Family's Bungalows

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By Heather Yakin

also by Simon Shifrin

Times Herald-Record

August 23, 2006

Monticello — For half a century, the Nachimovsky family has owned a 4½-acre property near Monticello. In its heyday, the land held the Ash Hotel and the Monticello Tentarena, a renowned Catskills theater.

On Aug. 14, Avraham and Myriam Nachimovsky drove from the city to Joyland Road to check on the two bungalows that are left. Avraham had stayed there last summer.

"We did not recognize the place. We passed it," said Myriam Nachimovsky. "We were in shock. We couldn't believe it was all gone."

Their two bungalows had been burned down, and their 40-foot trailer was gone.

"They call me up and tell me the houses are gone," recounts Myriam and Avraham Nachimovsky's son, Yoram Nachimovsky, a lawyer in New York City. "You can't just go and burn somebody's property."

At their son's urging, the couple gathered paperwork and reported the bungalow burning to the Sullivan County Sheriff's Department.

As it turns out, the Monticello Fire Department had burned the two bungalows months ago at the request of an employee of Concord Associates, developer Louis Capelli's local company. The employee apparently thought the bungalows were on Concord land.

Monticello fire Chief Glenn Somers said firefighters were told it was Concord property and burned down the buildings as they had other bungalows.

Henry Zabatta, a consultant working for Capelli, said it was purely a mistake.

"These bungalows were adjacent to our property, and we thought they were ours," Zabatta said. "It was an error. It wasn't done maliciously."

Concord Associates and firefighters have taken down about 50 old bungalows during the past three years.

The Nachimovskys' bungalows were nothing extravagant — a couple of bedrooms, a wrap-around porch — but they were theirs. They question how their bungalows were burned without any notice.

"He must know what property is his or not," Yoram Nachimovsky said. "They've offered my parents money for the property before."

Zabatta said Concord Associates may well have made an offer to the Nachimovskys, as they have to many others.

Yoram Nachimovsky said the family's bungalows were in good condition, there was furniture inside and his dad had stayed there last summer.

Zabatta said the bungalows that were burned were abandoned. "The fire department can attest to that also. They'll tell you what the bungalows were like. These were in the woods. They weren't livable."

The family just wants back what they had, Yoram Nachimovsky said.

"Put back the trailer. Put back the bungalows. Leave us where we were," he said. "And also, apologize."

[x129K 1,393]

D'Oh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JBE 328]

oops..

[AFS1970 504]

Seems to me this was a careless mistake on the part of the Fire Department. They had probably dealt with the developer previously and thought them to have reliable information. I know we did a drill at a house once, where we did not burn anything. The General Contractor was all for it, but we still required a letter from the homeowner allowing us to drill on the property and structure. All we were doing was gutting a roof that was about to be taken off the house to make way for a new second floor. Now I understand why we needed to be so careful.

[Guest]

good job capelli

[210 91]

Oh yes, $$$$$$$$$$$$$$!