By Mark Squibb
Mount Pearl City council last week issued two property maintenance orders following numerous complaints, but members of council say that they are sensitive to the delicate nature of the situation.
A Montgomery Street property was noted for having a significantly overgrown lawn, while a Commonwealth Avenue property was noted as being much worse for wear.
“The (Commonwealth) property is noted to be in a dilapidated state with plexi-glass and plywood in place of windows, significantly deteriorated exterior cladding and debris,” said councillor Bill Antle. “(The Planning) Committee expressed concern about the habitability and safety of the structure. The property owner has refused an inspection of the interior of the home to determine the full extent of the deficiencies.”
“I’m glad this is coming to the public, and I’m glad we’re taking this direction with this issue, because I think it’s the City’s due diligence, and council’s due diligence,” said councillor Mark Rice. “We just can’t turn a blind eye to this anymore. This has been ongoing for such a long time in the city with these two properties. This has been ongoing for many years.”
Going forward, Rice said, he would like to see more such orders issued.
“If it comes to the point where the City has got to go in there with our staff and mow the grass, or whatever it is, and back charge the owner of the property, so be it,” said Rice.
Councillor Chelsea Lane also expressed her support for the motion.
“We live in such a beautiful city, and our people really take pride in living here,” said Lane. “And we totally are understanding of the fact that during peoples lives there may come a point when they have a hard time keeping up their property, but these are cases of ongoing neglect to properties. And it’s really troublesome to people who live in the neighbourhood or even just people who are driving by to see houses left in deplorable conditions, and that’s why we are taking a role as a City and trying to get this situation rectified, because it’s important to take care of your property for the people in your neighbourhood, and for the city as a whole. That’s why the regulations exist.”
Councillor Jim Locke expressed his support for the motion, but also issued a word of caution about the sensitive nature of such orders.
“I do support the orders coming through, but just a caution that a lot of these circumstance are not cut-and-dry,” cautioned Locke. “We’ve dealt with similar circumstances during my tenure on council and it’s not black-and-white sometimes… and it sometimes takes longer than we would like, but sometimes individual circumstances dictate that. There’s personal circumstances that may arise from health issues, mental health issues, financial issues, and the like, and I want to caution, not out of neglect or to turn a blind eye, but some of the issues we dealt with in the past are complicated, and other agencies had to be called in and other supports had to be called in. I understand the frustrations of neighbours. I fully appreciate that it’s an eyesore. But sometimes we cannot fully disclose the details behind some of these cases. I just want to throw it out there that we’re not the big bad bully coming in with the heavy stick. We are sensitive to the fact that sometimes it may take a little longer than we like for particular reasons.”
Mayor Dave Aker noted that it’s not the first time these properties have been brought to council’s attention, and that while council has been very understanding and patient, residents hold property owners to a high standard.
“And that standard has been violated at these two addresses,” said Aker. “And this is not the first time this has been talked about at this table. We’re not just following the political winds here; we’re doing what we think is right for the city. This is a last resort, at the end of the day.”
Antle noted the City had issued a development permit over a year ago for the re-development of the Commonwealth Avenue property into commercial office space, however, there has been no progress to date.
Both motions passed unanimously, excepting that Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley was not present and thus did not vote.
