Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Bikers lend a hand to ousted building owner

OFF THE WIRE
BY: Joe Roetz
Source: cnycentral.com
Syracuse, NY - With only a few generators, artificial light and a tractor trailer, dozens of people are helping to move everything Anthony Tartaro owns out of his repair shop on North State Street and into a truck. "If I just shove everything in a tractor trailer or something and move it all one place. I won't be able to sort it out," says Tartaro.
Many of these helping hands don't know Tartaro, but they don't have to. He's a biker and that's good enough for them. "I put out a call tonight. We have a couple people with generators, people are offering lights, gas to run them. No questions asked," says Neil Fry who is pitching in.
The building out of which Anthony owns and operates his motorcycle repair shop is crumbling. The State DOT fears it could be dangerous to drivers on the backside that travel on Interstate 81 North, so the highway is closed until the building comes down.
Those who are going in and out with boxes say there is a seemingly endless supply of motorcycle parts inside the repair shop. But it is being destroyed by leaking water coming in from the hole on the other side of the building. There's so much stuff they say, they'll spend the next two days clearing it all out. But where all of this stuff goes after that, along with the repair business is still being decided.
Fry says, "This is his whole life back here. We can't let a fellow part of our community lose everything he has."
Tartaro is making a list of those with bikes at the shop so they can pick them up from his new location, wherever he winds up.