Clintons failed to get permits for rushed home renovation
Bill and Hillary Clinton failed to get required permits for a rushed renovation of the house and grounds they recently bought next to their original Westchester home, it was reported Friday.
Records show that the Clintons’ contractors filled in an in-ground pool, covering it with gravel, and extensively remodeled the interior of the property — all without applying for permits and paying the required fees to the town of New Castle.
The couple were apparently in a rush to get the work done and demanded that it be finished before Thanksgiving, a contractor told town officials.
“He said they have to have it done by Thanksgiving. I said that’s nice but you still have to get the permits,” Building Inspector William Maskiell told The Post.
The couple, he added, face “several thousand dollars, at least,” in fees and penalties for failing to get the paperwork straight.
An unidentified tipster ratted out the Clintons, who plunked down $1.15 million in August for the 3,631-square-foot house, a deal first reported in The Post.
Maskiell inspected the Chappaqua property after getting the tip about the pool work and then discovered the other renovations that were under way.
He notified the Democratic presidential nominee and her hubby about the violations in a letter dated Oct. 17, according to the Journal News, which first disclosed the missing permits.
Attached to the letter was another document titled “Clinton Violation Inspection Report” in which Maskiell said the contractor told him the Clintons “were quite adamant about [the Thanksgiving deadline] and what had started as a paint job turned into this,” meaning the major renovation.
Maskiell told the foreman for the contractor, Carl Petty Associates of Washington, DC, that he would not issue a stop work order if the contractor sought the proper permits.
But as of Friday, the general contractor still had not filed all of the required paperwork or paid the fees, he added, saying he’d only gotten applications from subcontractors for electrical and heating and air conditioning work.
Among the permits still missing are for demolishing and refilling the pool.
“I have to make sure the fill wasn’t contaminated or contained any hazardous materials,” he said.
The building inspector added that while permit applications are usually submitted by the contractor, the owners must sign the paperwork because they are ultimately responsible for the condition of the property.
The Clintons also have outstanding zoning and Building Department problems at their residence next door at 15 Old House Lane, which they bought for $1.7 million in 1999 to establish residency so Hillary could run for the Senate, Maskiell said.
They obtained variances in 2000 for a guard house on the property, for a higher fence and for “lot coverage,” or the amount of space buildings take up on the property.
The variances must be renewed every five years — but the Clintons never showed up before the Zoning Board of Appeals.
“Consequently, they are null and void. They should have come back in 2005, 2010 and 2015. So the variances have expired and they have to start from scratch” and reapply, said the inspector.
The original home and a combination library and gym in an outbuilding still have outstanding building permit issues as well, including a sprinkler “sign off” by the town engineer and an electrical inspection in the library/gym.
Neither Carl Petty Associates nor a Clinton spokesman immediately responded to requests for comment.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment