BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The city of Buffalo is seeking to impose fines on the owners of the former St. Ann’s Church as it pursues a long-term solution for the historic site following a series of fires on the property.
A court hearing was held on Thursday at Buffalo City Court ahead of an upcoming trial in September. It’s the city’s next step in an attempt to hold the current owners of the church accountable after three separate fires have occurred on the property since the start of the year.
“Today is really about, broadly speaking, the city’s efforts to continue the posture of aggressively pursuing owners who have these buildings in the city of Buffalo who fall into disrepair. And in this case, this is the St. Ann’s campus, and ultimately this is our legal team taking action and keeping the pressure on,” Deputy Mayor Thomas Baines said. “That’s the overarching position that the city has taken.”…