County will clean derelict property

By Rupert Howell
Supervisors voted to proceed with adjudication of property on Henry Heafner Road near Sardis Lower Lake after giving the property owner six months to comply with a clean up order.
The action was taken Monday morning on a unanimous vote following a motion by Supervisor Donald Phelps whose district encompasses the location.
The adjudication will allow the county to clean or contract to have the property cleaned or cleared so that it conforms to an order issued months ago. A lien can then be put against the property for clean-up costs plus penalties and placed on the properties’ taxes.
Property owner Elizabeth Berry was given six months in February to remove four of five unoccupied trailers at the Henry Heafner Road location after she had attempted to have the fifth trailer repaired for habitation.
Chad Meek serves as enforcement officer for Land Use regulations and told supervisors Monday that some clean up has taken place and privacy fences have been erected and some of the trailers are being inhabited.
Sheriff Dennis Darby asked if children were among occupants of the trailers with Meek responding, “I would imagine they are.”
“We’ve wasted enough time,” District Three Supervisor John Thomas said prior to seconding Phelps’ motion to adjudicate. It was Thomas who made the motion in February to give the property owner six months to clean up and move the derelict trailers.
Since that time a fire has destroyed nearby apartments also owned by Berry. A friend of Berry’s at Monday’s meeting said the property owner was awaiting the insurance company to finish their work before demolishing the remains.
Meek said he had included the burned apartments in his request for adjudication. The matter was turned over to Board Attorney Gaines Baker for adjudication following the unanimous vote.
Berry was not at Monday’s meeting and board members, at first, were deciding whether to move forward with adjudication or postpone until Berry could attend.
At that point Pam Folik, a neighbor who had made complaints about the property, explained she had driven from Chicago to attend the meeting and didn’t see why Berry could not have made arrangements to be there.
Two other derelict properties were discussed during Monday’s meeting both in District Four near Bynum Creek.
Phelps, in whose district both properties lie, said the property of Ernest Keel on Cliff Finch Road had been somewhat cleaned but that property on Rowsey Road belonging to Kenneth Abbit needed attention and noted that cars there may be on county property. Both properties had complaints against them according to Meek.
Supervisors voted to proceed with adjudication procedures on the Rowsey Road property.