Wood County commissioners hear from property owners
By BRETT DUNLAPPARKERSBURG - The Wood County Commission Thursday heard from two property owners who were allegedly in violation of the county's ordinance on abandoned and dilapidated buildings as well as debris amounts to determine what needed to be done to clean up their properties.
The county compliance officers reported the property of Allen Estep on W.Va. 14 near Mineral Wells has a house and four trailers on it as well as a storage building packed full of stuff. There was also a large amount of debris around the property, including a number of abandoned cars, he claimed.
The compliance officers presented the commission with photos, dated Dec. 3, 2008, to detail the condition of the property.
''We have been trying to work with Mr. Estep to get the property cleaned up (in compliance with county codes),'' compliance officer John Reed said.
There were concerns about people living in the trailers, how the sewage was being handled on the property and other health and environmental concerns, he said
The property, which has a couple of septic systems on it, is within the required footage to be hooked into the Mineral Wells Public Service District's sewer system, said engineer Bill Brown, who works for the county.
Estep has been contacted with three certified letters about his property. Liens of $6,600 have been placed on the property to bring it into compliance.
Estep appeared before the commission and presented receipts, dated after the pictures presented to the commission were taken, showing he had just under a ton of refuse removed from his property. He also presented a business license from the state to show he was allowed to sell items from his property to address an earlier question from the compliance officers. However, he refused to allow copies to be made and entered into the record on his behalf. He also refused to sign an attendance sheet showing he was at Thursday's meeting. County officials still made note of his attendance in the official record.
Reed said they did not revisit the property prior to Thursday's meeting because of snow in the area.
The commission unanimously agreed to continue the hearing until Jan. 22 to give Estep additional time to finish his cleanup and allow the commission to visit the property to reassess its condition.
In an another matter, James M. Haynes owns property on Blennerhassett Heights Road where there is a house that was damaged by fire a few years back. The house is located on a piece of property Haynes purchased from a neighbor after the fire and sits on a tract adjacent to his own residence.
The compliance officers said they have been working with Haynes to determine if the house would be demolished or refurbished.
''Right now, it is unsafe, parts of the building are open,'' Reed said, adding it could create a danger to children who could be playing in the area.
Haynes said he has been using the structure for storage and that there haven't been any children living nearby for about five years. He presented letters from his neighbors saying they did not have a problem with the structure as it was at this time. He also said the initial fire was confined to one area of the house.
Brown said the structure suffered damage in the initial fire, including stresses on many supports.
''What we have in the ordinance said the property should not be inhabited and/or used if it is not safe,'' he said.
Commissioners visited the property Thursday but did not take action on it.
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JCB1964
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01-09-09 8:47 AM
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1336 and 1333 latrobe st. need to be demolished, also,.....fire hazards. 1333 is posted condemned.
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Rakeer
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01-09-09 8:32 AM
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Iv'e driven by that place many times, it's been like that for years and is really an eyesore, (that's being mild). The place should be bull-dozed to the ground, not only for the public safety but for anyone that lives there!
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hasworkedingovt
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01-09-09 7:48 AM
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Must be careful not to just selectively enforce laws against a few individuals, as there are hundereds that need going after.
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