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Compliance officer gives report on Wood County properties

PARKERSBURG — The Wood County Commission reviewed two properties on Thursday during its regular meeting, one where significant progress was made to clean it up in line with county ordinances and one that wasn’t.

The commission met with Wood County compliance officer Sarah Farnsworth and Wood County engineer Maria Hardy to discuss the property at 3453/3457 Lost Pavement Road, Parkersburg, and a property at 172 Barnstable Drive owned by Inez Bennett.

Farnsworth has been updating the commission for the last couple of months on the Lost Pavement Road property owned by James and Drinda Richards.

Farnsworth has repeatedly examined the property and has been reporting to the commission for the last couple of months. Farnsworth said she had initially received complaints on the condition of the property from a neighbor in May 2018.

The complaints dealt with trash on the property, abandoned and dilapidated structures. During a previous inspection, Farnsworth presented photos of hypodermic needles and other drug paraphernalia scattered about a home on one of the properties.

The couple said people had taken advantage of them and used their property to abuse drugs.

The Richardses have since removed dilapidated structures, including a trailer where the drug paraphernalia had been found, from the property and removed trash and other waste. They have secured and boarded up the remaining structures on the property.

The couple said they still had work to do in securing a remaining property. No one is living on the property now.

An engineer’s report recommends tearing down all the remaining structures on the property because they are uninhabitable. The couple has plans for the property and is working toward those.

”They have made a lot of progress since first coming before us,” Commission President Blair Couch said.

The commission agreed to continue to monitor the situation and if the couple kept up the progress, they would not have to appear before the commission again on this matter.

Little has been done with the property on Barnstable Drive.

Farnsworth said she has talked with Bennett but she has moved from the last property officials had on record. The county has sent certified letters informing her of violations. She did not show up for a previous hearing. The last certified letter sent was not signed for.

”She was aware of what she needed to do,” Farnsworth said.

The only thing done was a boat on the property was moved. The house on the property was open with animals getting in. Anyone can access the house through several entry points. Garbage was lying all over the property, along with drug paraphernalia. A garage and outbuilding also had garbage lying all over.

”It was completely trashed,” Farnsworth said.

County officials believe the structures on the property should be torn down.

The property was recently sold at a tax sale. However, the new owner cannot take full possession of the property until April when the deed is transferred. Until then Bennett would still have the chance to pay off the property and be able to make the improvements to it.

The county decided to hold off on action until the property has a clear owner.

The county will post no trespassing signs around the property. Officials are looking at possibly securing the house to prevent entry.

”We saw progress from one property owner and backsliding from another,” Couch said. ”There is a whole series of properties that never make it here.

”(Farnsworth) is able to work with people to clean up and repair their properties,” he said. ”People who are called before the commission know we are serious. It lets the public know that we are taking this seriously.”

In other business:

* Parkersburg City Council passed the final reading of a resolution to trade the county the “Long Tom” cannon at City Park for the county’s half of Bicentennial Park. The county is looking at options to clean and restore the cannon as well as find a permanent location for it in Fort Boreman Park and a way to transport it to the park.

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com

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