[By Matt Freeze]
On July 22, the Tioga County Land Bank voted to award a $662,800 bid to renovate a blighted historic home located at 247 Main St. in the Village of Owego.
The land bank has spent countless hours with the state trying to get approval to demolish the property, but due to the site’s historic designation, state officials only granted permission to demolish the dilapidated modern addition on the back of the house.
The Owego Historic Preservation Society said U.S. Army officer Henry Martin Robert, who wrote “Robert’s Rules of Order,” a widely accepted and commonly adopted standard for government meetings across the country, once lived in the home at some time before his death in 1923.
The land bank board of directors voted to approve the bid submitted by Clear View Doors and Windows, which included a base bid for renovations at $619,300 and three alternates, which are optional additions to the main bid.
Pictured is the historic home located at 247 Main St. in the Village of Owego, that will undergo renovations. (Photo by Wendy Post)
The board approved the third alternate, coming in at $43,500, for selective interior demolition.
They did not approve the other two— one for Hardie wood siding at $38,000 and the other for hardwood floors at $18,000.
OHPC reportedly agreed that since the home currently has vinyl siding, it would be acceptable to replace it with vinyl siding.
The flooring will be LVP throughout the house.
Revenue and financing sources for the land bank’s 2026 budget totaled just over $4.85 million, of which $4.79 million is state funding.
The board also approved a $2,070 proposal from Scott Kismarick to remove the trees and brush from in front of the home.
In other land bank business, the board voted to set the price of the recently renovated 121 Providence St. home in Waverly at $195,000.
Land Bank Executive Administrator Sarah Zubalsky-Peer previously said the total project cost was $387,584 — which includes a survey of the property, shed demolition and air monitoring, design/engineering, roof replacement, asbestos/mold monitoring and abatement, tree and junk removal, and construction.
(Matt Freeze is a Senior Staff Writer with The Sayre Morning Times.)
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