Jericho Tpke Blight Demolsihed

There is one less blighted property in Commack, now that the Town of Smithtown has demolished an abandoned structure on Jericho Turnpike, near the Smithtown border.

The property, located at 1131 Jericho Tpke., was cited in 2011 as one of at least 19 blighted properties in town. A building permit was granted Nov. 5 to raze the structure.

The land is currently for sale by Exit Realty.

Smithtown's elected officials have made cleaning up blighted properties a main priority in town and are moving forward with the demolition and tending to of several abandoned properties, if their owners won't tackle it themselves. 

The next project on the town's list is a residence at 15 August Crescent in Commack, where Smithtown officials are considering entering the property for removal of "overgrown grass, weeds, rubbish, and vegetation" for property maintenance. 

The town board will hold a public hearing Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Eugene A. Cannataro Senior Citizen Center, 420 Middle Country Road, Smithtown, to discuss the cleanup.