Five Greek houses have special-use permits renewed

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May 24, 2012

Five Greek houses have special-use permits renewed

By Jake Palmateer Staff Writer The Daily Star Thu May 24, 2012, 03:30 AM EDT

ONEONTA -- Five Greek houses recently had their special-use permits for the next academic year renewed by the city.

The Planning Commission approved the permits last Wednesday at its monthly meeting.

To function as a Greek house in the city and have more than three unrelated occupants, a fraternity or sorority must have a permit.

Permits were approved for:

"¢ The Phi Sigma Phi sorority at 6 Myrtle Ave.

"¢ The Alpha Omicron Pi sorority at 17 Maple St.

"¢ The Gamma Phi Delta sorority at 23 Elm St.

"¢ The Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity at 61 Elm St.

"¢ The Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at 56 Maple St.

Permits are slated to expire May 31, 2013.

There are two Greek houses that have not yet been approved, City Clerk James Koury said. Two more Greek houses have not yet been acted on, he said.

They include the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity at 69-71 Spruce St. Alpha Delta Omega, a fraternity of Hartwick College students, has a house at 62 Elm St. The group had its permit revoked two years ago by the city after a series of issues, including dangerous parties.

Koury said ADO is opting to wait another year before it applies for another permit.

"They were not ready to do the paperwork yet," Koury said.

The following are the conditions of a special-use permit for a Greek house:

"¢ The premises must have a certificate of substantial compliance and be current on all required inspections. All code violations must be immediately corrected.

"¢ The group must have monthly fire-safety inspections conducted by a qualified, nonresident adult.

"¢ Each group member must learn and implement the college and chapter's risk-management policies, especially regarding alcohol, personal and fire-safety issues.

"¢ The group must meet with the Oneonta Police Department and the Oneonta Fire Department for an educational session during September.

"¢ The Greek organization must provide neighbors with the phone numbers of group officers, resident advisers and college liaisons.