Cloverdale moves ahead with plans for unsafe buildings

CLOVERDALE -- The next step has been taken by the town to have unsafe buildings removed.

Attorney Alan Yackey requested a special meeting be set with Board of Zoning Appeals to allow owners of the disputed eyesores around town the chance to appeal the demolition notice.

With the special meeting set for 7 p.m. March 19, Yackey told the board he plans to have letters to property owners mailed with Town Council president Don Sublett's signature on them by first of next week.

The fate of 203 S. Lafayette St. started with a complaint filed by a former tenant. A building inspector was called in and deemed the house uninhabitable due to a water leak causing severe structural damage, among other things. This will be the first property to be handled.

The residence currently sits vacant among some other properties being looked at for demolition. There are approximately four to five other properties including the 17 abandoned vehicles at U.S. 231 and Cemetery Road.

Yackey said it is a violation of Abandon Vehicle Law and he has tried to set up a meeting with the owner and his attorney. This issue will be further discussed at the next Town Council meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Town Hall.

In other news, the status of the Sale Barn on W. Robert Weist Road has improved. Building inspector Mark Cassida tagged the building with a red stop order because it needed a safety fence. An orange safety fence has been placed around the property and Cassida has lifted the stop order.

Once the weather breaks, Sublett said, demolition would continue on the Sale Barn. Issues with the demolition permit have been resolved with the owner.