Bavarian Inn in Lake Ronkonkoma to be razed

A defunct restaurant and catering facility that has been an eyesore and target of vandals in Lake Ronkonkoma for years is set to be demolished next week, Suffolk County officials said yesterday.

The Bavarian Inn at 422 Smithtown Blvd. will be torn down Monday during a news conference. The site has been closed for more than six years due to flooding and has become covered in graffiti, Legis. John M. Kennedy Jr. said.

"While the restaurant during its heyday was a great place to be, clearly it's long past time for the remnants to be brought down," said Kennedy (R-Nesconset). "It was nothing but an eyesore and a nuisance."

Kennedy said that the demolition was urgent.

"It's not just a visual nuisance, but is a potential hazard and danger because of the flooding, progressive deterioration and the fact that it was continually being broken into by trespassers," he said.

The Suffolk County Legislature approved $325,000 on Sept. 12 for the demolition and safe removal of hazardous materials, including asbestos.

Suffolk County took ownership of the property on June 19, 2012, due to tax default, said county spokeswoman Vanessa Baird-Streeter. Since then, the county has paid $348,630.54 in taxes associated with the property, she said.

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"We are pleased that we have come to this solution," Baird-Streeter said in a statement. "The county is more than willing to work with the Town of Smithtown and community leaders to come up with the most appropriate and cost-effective use of the parcel."

The future use remains undetermined, said Kennedy, who has previously advocated -- alongside some community groups -- for the property to become parkland.

County officials have said the park proposal could be too costly and the county would look at solutions "in the best interest of all Suffolk County taxpayers."