Tax credit eyed for Danvers victims

Abatement would help homeowners 'pick up the pieces'

Joined by (left-right) Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray, Representative Theodore Speliotis of Danvers, and Senator Frederick Berry of Peabody, Governor Patrick filed legislation to aid families whose homes were damaged in the Danvers blast. (PAT GREENHOUSE/GLOBE STAFF)

Governor Deval Patrick announced yesterday that his first piece of legislation would offer tax relief to the Danversport families whose houses were damaged or destroyed in the Nov. 22 chemical explosion.

Pledging to help Danvers families "begin to pick up the pieces," Patrick said his proposal would allow residents who lost at least 30 percent of their property value to apply for an abatement that, he estimated, could save homeowners an average of $1,000 on property tax bills for this fiscal year. Under current law, the threshold for applying for an abatement is a 50 percent loss in value.

Special legislation was needed, Patrick said, because the affected houses are along prime waterfront where the value of the land greatly exceeds the value of the houses, and the assessed value of the land itself did not significantly depreciate in the blast.

"Without . . . authority given to Danvers to use this special abatement, then there would not be property tax relief that took into account the reality of the impact of this explosion," Patrick said.

Danversport families, many of whom are still negotiating with insurance companies to rebuild their shattered houses, greeted the news with mixed emotions.

"That's fabulous," said Janet Lettich, who considers the potential tax abatement an early birthday present. She turns 55 tomorrow.

The $1,000 would cover less than a third of Lettich's annual $3,600 property tax bill, she said, but every bit helps toward the hefty rebuilding project.

Her house needs a new roof, two new chimneys, and new ceilings, walls, windows, and doors, Lettich said.

"If you drive down to our neighborhood, it's just not realistic to think our homes are worth what assessors list it at now," she said. "We have wonderful pieces of land that we want to move back to."

But Dave Marcou, 34, whose house was so badly damaged that it had to be torn down, was not impressed by the promise of property tax relief.

He has been battling car and homeowners insurance companies and, he said, had to pay $1,500 for a rental car in the month following the blast.

"I'm grateful on one hand, but on the other hand it's kind of small change in the larger picture," he said.

"I will certainly take the refund, but I am not going to do cartwheels or anything."

Lisa Wangsness of the Globe staff contributed to this report.