Code enforcement hits community garden?

avs · July 10, 2012, 02:02:02 PM

IloveIonia and I went over and spoke to the owner yesterday. He is a very nice guy. He has had medical issues lately. He was doing work on the house and code told him he wasn't moving fast enough and they started fining him $50/day so he basically gave up. The trash is being thrown in the yard by a previous employee who is kind of crazy. The owner has discussed it with the police. A neighbor has seen the previous employee throw the trash in the yard really quickly then run down the street.

Bottom line is the owner tried to work on some of the issues but he wasn't moving quickly enough so instead of helping they slapped a $50/day fine on him so he just gave up. If he had $50/day to spend he could fix the house up in no time. Now code is breaking onto the property to find other piddly stuff to add to the case file to eventually make a case to tear the house down.

movedsouth · July 10, 2012, 02:39:55 PM

I know the house (I didn't take the video, just posted it here). The front yard is very messy. But code can see that, take pictures of it, without breaking the fence. And I doubt people will start removing only trash now the door is open. The daily fines do nothing but demoralize owners.

acme54321 · July 10, 2012, 02:52:18 PM

Someone should send that to the local news channels and TU.

02roadking · July 10, 2012, 03:08:15 PM

Since the gate is broken now, I may just clean the trash up myself..... about 4:15ish.....hint,hint

movedsouth · July 10, 2012, 03:23:54 PM

02roadking: Excellent idea... (I am out of town... but I hope others will get the hint)

02roadking · July 10, 2012, 04:34:56 PM

Gate is not broken and is padlocked. If someone would get a key, I'll get the trash. You know, private property and all.

movedsouth · July 10, 2012, 04:41:29 PM

thanks for trying!

avs · July 10, 2012, 05:12:07 PM

Its not broken. The city hammered the studs out of the brackets then put them back in because the gate was padlocked and they couldnt just walk in.

iloveionia · July 10, 2012, 05:37:46 PM

The owner will allow us in to clean-up. avs and I visited him yesterday I can call him ahead of time. I told him I'd go over in a day or so if he was unable to get over there. I also told him I'd make him a special (insert heart here) "No Trespassing" sign. I can pick up the key from him: he has trouble getting around. roadking: I sent you a text. unless you went over already? sorry if so, I was at Dancy.

iloveionia · July 10, 2012, 05:40:16 PM

Quote from: avs on July 10, 2012, 02:02:02 PM
IloveIonia and I went over and spoke to the owner yesterday. He is a very nice guy. He has had medical issues lately. He was doing work on the house and code told him he wasn't moving fast enough and they started fining him $50/day so he basically gave up. The trash is being thrown in the yard by a previous employee who is kind of crazy. The owner has discussed it with the police. A neighbor has seen the previous employee throw the trash in the yard really quickly then run down the street.

Bottom line is the owner tried to work on some of the issues but he wasn't moving quickly enough so instead of helping they slapped a $50/day fine on him so he just gave up. If he had $50/day to spend he could fix the house up in no time. Now code is breaking onto the property to find other piddly stuff to add to the case file to eventually make a case to tear the house down.

Spot on. He's lived here since the 1981. Nice man. Very atune to the neighborhood. He needs support and wishes to move back into the house (which by the way is NOT condemned) but it does need a few fix-its to make it comfortable. His daughter recently moved back out to the west coast so he lost his support system.

John P · July 10, 2012, 06:16:18 PM

Quote from: avs on July 10, 2012, 05:12:07 PM
Its not broken. The city hammered the studs out of the brackets then put them back in because the gate was padlocked and they couldnt just walk in.

Movedsouth said it was broken. If it is not broken what is the issue? Tresspassing? I would hate to look at a yard filled with trash everyday and am glad a city agency is responsible for investigating it.

avs · July 10, 2012, 06:19:08 PM

Did you read the whole thread??? its not broken - the city took it off the hinges. that's breaking and entering and trespassing. Then put it back on when they left. The city is not allowed to do that. They cant come on a person's property without permission.

The trash issue is stated in another post - read the whole thread. Get the whole story.

strider · July 10, 2012, 06:19:59 PM

This type of behavior, illegal entry of personal property by a government official, does not originate from the workers bees, but from the top. As long as the current department head is there, this is the type of thing that will happen. She is the queen bee and so she is never wrong. The only way to get a MCCD that actually helps people instead of hindering them at every step is change from the top.

While there are certainly those who own these houses and do not want to do the right thing by them, how many times do we have to hear that an owner was doing the right thing, even if stumbling at it a bit, and MCCD, with the blessings of the department head, made it all but impossible to continue and certainly demoralized the owners to the point of giving up. And then, later on, MCCD will use that giving up against the house to help tear it down.

Change the top and the worker bees will learn new ways or be forced to leave.

iloveionia · July 10, 2012, 06:22:10 PM

Code used tools to bang open and de-hinge the gate to enter the property. The gate WAS locked and secure. ANd there is way more the to the story.

John P · July 10, 2012, 06:27:30 PM

Strider you are right. Changing the top person always filters down and I think the city can find a better person than the current code enforcement director. BUT I applaud the city for investigating a homeowner who litters their trash. I drove past that house on liberty street last month and it the trash was there. BUT AGAIN I do not think they should be able to trespass.