Official: Town Leader Tried To Bury His Defunct Auto Garage

SHERIDAN, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say a western New York town official has been cited for trying to bury his defunct auto repair garage in a hole.

WIVB-TV reports that Louis Delmonte's business on Route 20 in the Chautauqua (shuh-TAW'-kwuh) County town of Sheridan had been in rundown condition for years. So he borrowed a friend's excavator and dug a large hole next to the building.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation says Delmonte tore down half of the building and dumped debris in the hole before the agency received a complaint about the work.

Delmonte was told he was illegally disposing of the building because the asbestos abatement required for all commercial demolitions wasn't completed.

Delmonte, who serves as the town supervisor, says he had received a permit to demolish and bury the building on site from a code enforcement officer.

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Information from: WIVB-TV, http://www.wivb.com