Ordinance targets dangerous structures
CARMICHAELS – There are too many dilapidated houses for Cumberland Township Code Enforcement Officer Ann Bargerstock to count when makes her rounds through the municipality.
She pointed to a dilapidated home in Nemacolin with its bowing roof and three others in Crucible that the township wants to target for demolition.
“And that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Bargerstock said.
Bargerstock will now have the tools to condemn and raze dilapidated homes in the township after Cumberland’s supervisors unanimously passed a “dangerous structures” ordinance during the board’s Monday afternoon meeting.
“If it’s not safe and if it can’t be used, it will be torn down,” board Chairman Bill Groves said following the vote.
The new ordinance targets “dangerous structures” and forces property owners to either make immediate repairs to their rundown buildings or face demolition.
The supervisors started that process on the Nemacolin home Bargerstock was concerned about by agreeing during Monday’s meeting to pay John Glendenning $2,500 to raze the structure at 118 Bliss Ave. and remove the rubble beginning this week.
“It poses an immediate threat,” she said.
Bargerstock said they posted a notice at the house warning the property owner of its condition, performed an engineer assessment and sent multiple letters demanding it be repaired. They never heard back, Bargerstock said.
“These houses are harboring rodents and vermin,” Bargerstock said. “They have to be pretty severe (cases) to get there and these are it.”
The ordinance targets damaged buildings that are dilapidated, decayed, unsafe and unsanitary, which could lead to accidents or disease and are dangerous to the life and safety of other residents.
Before the property owner is cited, Bargerstock will request an engineer to inspect the building. The enforcement officer will then notify the township supervisors either in person or through correspondence that the property is deemed unsafe and whether it can be repaired or must be vacated and demolished.
The property owner must be notified in writing with an explanation of the issues and citing the time frame for which to make repairs. If a person intends to challenge the ruling, he or she must request a hearing within 10 days and the hearing should happen no longer than 30 days after the petition was filed, according to the ordinance.
The property owner can argue their case and provide evidence on what repairs they should or could be made.
The owner faces a $600 fine for each day in which a structure is not in compliance. If the township must raze a building, it can put a lien against the property in order to collect legal fees and demolition costs, plus a 10 percent penalty.
Also during the meeting, Bargerstock discussed the upcoming June 20 public hearing on the proposed Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance. She said people can testify at the 1:30 p.m. hearing or send comments through the mail or email.