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MERRITT HERALD FREE
TUESDAY, JULY 29, 2014 ⢠MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
Council gives owners of burnt house 30 days notice By Michael Potestio THE HERALD
reporter@merrittherald.com
KICK UP YOUR BOOTS Vancouver band Whiskey Jane had people dancing in Spirit Square with its brand of country-inspired rock ânâ roll on Saturday over the lunch hour. The group made its appearance as part of Music in the Square, a joint initiative of the City of Merritt and Merrittâs chamber of commerce, as it was already in town to play back-to-back shows at Cactus Annieâs on Friday and Saturday. Emily Wessel/Herald
Enough is enough when it comes to a house thatâs been unsafe and unsightly since a fire destroyed it nearly four years ago, city council members said at their regular meeting last Tuesday. The house at 1590 Garcia St. was gutted by a fire â which was determined to be an arson â back in October of 2010. Despite multiple attempts by the city to assist the Lower Mainland-based property owners in addressing deficiency and nuisance issues, the owner continues to dodge requests of compliance and remediation, a report from planning and development manager Sean OâFlaherty stated. In those four years, the city has sent the property owners six orders to comply for unsightliness and safety issues. Council unanimously approved a motion to have the owners of the house restore or demolish the building, but shortened their deadline from three months to 30 days. âThis is just some people taking advantage of a small town, and thinks theyâre
not going to do anything,â Coun. Dave Baker said. In August of 2013, city council issued a notice on title against the propertyâs land title in accordance with section 57 of the Community Charter. Then in April of this year, the city issued the property owners another order to comply for unsightliness and safety issues â also informing them the city was considering remedial action. Still, the site remains in its dilapidated and uninhabitable condition. If the property owners donât demolish the firedamaged building or restore the property so itâs not a nuisance, the city will have it demolished and the property restored. The city would then recoup their demolition costs from the owners as a debt in a similar manner to having taxes against the property. The initial deadline to comply with the remedial action recommended by city staff was Oct. 22, 2014. However, council decided to move the date to the minimum notice of 30 days after Baker recommended it.
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