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By Jean Braithwaite
tribune correspondent
KEYSER — A county safety agency has a new target of interest: An abandoned house in Wiley Ford.
Tuesday, members of the Mineral County Building and Safety Agency met to discuss the damaged structure.
Scott Clay, county planner, said the house became vacant about seven years ago when the owner left the area for employment. The home was left to renters who, according to Clay, “wrecked the place.”
Clay said the yard of the building is overgrown with brush, with trees growing over the dilapidated structure, and poison ivy growing on portions of the house.
“The major concern is the roof is partially caved in and openings in the structure would allow for easy entrance,” he said.
Following an on-site inspection, Clay reported, he saw that the house “may or may not be redeemable,” saying that during last winter frozen water pipes ruptured, causing further damage to the building.
To follow procedure in dealing with complaints of building safety factors, the agency will begin the process of communicating with the owner through a certified letter, informing him of the condition of the property and requesting a plan of action on its behalf.
The agency also took a complaint on a house whose yard is littered with trash. The home, located on Route 46 between Piedmont and Keyser, was the recipient of many complaints by neighbors. Though the complaint forms have not yet been returned, agency members were in verbal communication with those concerned.
The agency agreed to authorize Clay to send a letter to the owner, asking for compliance with the condition of the trash and overgrown weeds.
“Are the owners paying taxes on these homes?” Jim Dolly asked of the two homes in question.
Clay said that they must be or they would be up for sale through the sheriff’s department.
The MCBSA closed the books on a former case on Grayson Gap Road. The structure was a foreclosure and was in the hands of the West Virginia State Housing Fund, administered through a local bank.
During a recent followup inspection of the house, Clay reported that “the trash is gone, the grass is cut, and there is no evidence of feral cats on the property.”
A home on Old Furnace Road is also complying with complaints, and Clay stated the owner wrote out a plan of action during the initial inspection visit.
“I am very pleased with the owner’s effort and work,” Clay said, pointing out the weeds are now under control, vehicle tires have been stored away, open containers have been turned over, and a building permit was obtained to use the pile of lumber in the yard for a storage shed.
The next meeting of the Building Safety Agency is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27, in the Mineral County Courthouse jury room.
By Jean Braithwaite
tribune correspondent
KEYSER — A county safety agency has a new target of interest: An abandoned house in Wiley Ford.
Tuesday, members of the Mineral County Building and Safety Agency met to discuss the damaged structure.
Scott Clay, county planner, said the house became vacant about seven years ago when the owner left the area for employment. The home was left to renters who, according to Clay, “wrecked the place.”
Clay said the yard of the building is overgrown with brush, with trees growing over the dilapidated structure, and poison ivy growing on portions of the house.
“The major concern is the roof is partially caved in and openings in the structure would allow for easy entrance,” he said.
Following an on-site inspection, Clay reported, he saw that the house “may or may not be redeemable,” saying that during last winter frozen water pipes ruptured, causing further damage to the building.
To follow procedure in dealing with complaints of building safety factors, the agency will begin the process of communicating with the owner through a certified letter, informing him of the condition of the property and requesting a plan of action on its behalf.
The agency also took a complaint on a house whose yard is littered with trash. The home, located on Route 46 between Piedmont and Keyser, was the recipient of many complaints by neighbors. Though the complaint forms have not yet been returned, agency members were in verbal communication with those concerned.
The agency agreed to authorize Clay to send a letter to the owner, asking for compliance with the condition of the trash and overgrown weeds.
“Are the owners paying taxes on these homes?” Jim Dolly asked of the two homes in question.
Clay said that they must be or they would be up for sale through the sheriff’s department.
The MCBSA closed the books on a former case on Grayson Gap Road. The structure was a foreclosure and was in the hands of the West Virginia State Housing Fund, administered through a local bank.
During a recent followup inspection of the house, Clay reported that “the trash is gone, the grass is cut, and there is no evidence of feral cats on the property.”
A home on Old Furnace Road is also complying with complaints, and Clay stated the owner wrote out a plan of action during the initial inspection visit.
“I am very pleased with the owner’s effort and work,” Clay said, pointing out the weeds are now under control, vehicle tires have been stored away, open containers have been turned over, and a building permit was obtained to use the pile of lumber in the yard for a storage shed.
The next meeting of the Building Safety Agency is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27, in the Mineral County Courthouse jury room.
