Justin Murphy

@citizenmurphy

The town of Irondequoit stepped in this week for emergency repairs on a pump station at Medley Centre and plans to bill developer Scott Congel for the work.

Town Supervisor Adam Bello said Tuesday that the pump station on East Ridge Road had developed severe cracks in the outside walls, freezing the 8-inch pipes inside.

"You could literally see right through the building, and the air temperature outside was the same as inside the building," he said.

That could burst the pipes, threatening the pump station and possibly unleashing a small flood on downhill properties, in particular Target, when the temperature rises.

Town Fire Marshal Gregory Merrick wrote a letter to Congel Jan. 2 calling on him to take "immediate mitigation measures to prevent a catastrophic failure of the water system to the mall and/or the structural collapse of this building."

After several days passed with no response from Congel, Bello instructed town officials to take "temporary steps" to address the problem.

That included insulating the building and placing heaters inside it. The town will bill Congel for the work.

"It is regrettable the neglect at the property forced us to have to take it upon ourselves to ensure that there wasn't a major failure of the station, which could potentially have led to serious damage to both the Target store, its parking lot and serious erosion in the surrounding area," Bello said in a statement. "This is inexcusable for any property owner in Irondequoit."

It's not the first time Congel has been chided for not maintaining the property while the fight over his property tax abatement persists. There have been complaints about potholes and unmown grass in the parking lot, and former supervisor Mary Joyce D'Aurizio prevailed upon the developer to demolish three nearby buildings in October.

Congel could not be reached for comment.

JMURPHY7@DemocratandChronicle.com

Twitter.com/CitizenMurphy