New Jersey resident Milan Adamovsky and his legal counsel met last week with Oil City officials regarding the properties he owns in Oil City, particularly the IOOF building on Seneca Street.
The meeting involved Adamvosky, his attorney, John Knox of Erie, Oil City Mayor John Kluck and city solicitor Bob Varsek.
And the main focus of discussion was the blighted IOOF building, known as the Odd Fellows Building, at 220 to 226 Seneca St., Oil City Manager Mark Schroyer said.
A hearing has been scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday, May 3, before District Judge Andrew Fish regarding the citations. Adamovsky has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him in the citations.
Schroyer said the city is also retaining a structural engineer to assess the IOOF building.
Last April, a large chunk of the roof of the building blew off and damaged the neighboring Seneca Court roof, which led to that building’s tenants being evacuated.
A year later, the roof still isn’t repaired, and in the interim citations for code violations have continued to be filed with Fish.
Concerns were raised last year during an Oil City Council meeting that more of the roof of the IOOF building could blow off during another storm.
It was noted at the meeting that a 20-by-16-foot piece of the roof flew off, struck part of the parapet on the building and knocked it down, then flew over another building and landed on the Seneca Court building.
Last July, council voted to pursue legal action in regard to what the city says is neglect to the IOOF building. The matter remains ongoing.
Schroyer said that on Wednesday, Adamovsky was seen unloading totes from a white box truck with New Jersey plates parked by the Grandview Estates building at 202 Center St. and taking them into the building.
So, city code officer Travis Hartman and two Oil City police officers went to tell Adamovsky to stop using the building as a warehouse since it violates the city’s zoning ordinance, Schroyer said.
Schroyer said Adamovsky disagreed, arguing it was his building so he could do what he wants with it.
Adamovsky has previously been cited for using the Grandview Estates building as a warehouse.
Adamovsky came to Oil City from his New Jersey base near the end of 2020 with big plans, and he scooped up five properties in a short period of time from late 2020 into early 2021.
All five deeds were transferred from the sellers to Adamovsky and his various limited liability companies. The sales agreements ranged from $159,000 for the National Fuel property, at 308 Seneca St., to articles of agreement for the others.
In addition to the IOOF, Grandview Estates and National Fuel properties, Adamovsky also purchased the buildings at 217 Seneca St. and 106 Center St., a corner building that previously housed the Rosen, Rosen and Varsek law offices.
At 106 Center, the only building where tenants remain, Dloniak Barber Shop, which has been on Center Street for more than 50 years, is moving soon and setting up shop in part of the former Karma Coffee on Elm Street.
Owner Roger Dloniak previously told the newspaper he doesn’t want to move but doesn’t trust Adamovsky to maintain the building. He said at the time he hadn’t had any gas in the building since last July.
After he garnered much local attention with his multiple property purchases, Adamovsky has largely not been seen in the area and none of his announced plans have come to fruition.
At this point, the Oil City code enforcement office has issued nearly a dozen citations for violations at all five buildings since 2022, with some having a number of citations.
