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10/21/2013 MINUTESMINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BUILDING AND STANDARDS COMMISSION MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013 3:00 P.M. 1. Don Wilson called the Building and Standards Commission Meeting to order at 3:00 P.M. Roll was called. A. The following members were present: Don Wilson Johnny Norris Zac Saffle Jon McFadden B. Staff present: Robert Talley Nicki Brown Larry Wright Stephanie Harris C. Others present: Sue Lancaster — City Council Jordan Harper — property owner Debra Gray — property owner Michael Thomas — property owner Clarice Holt — property owner George Preston — property owner Charles Rudd II — property owner 2. Approval of minutes from previous meetings. (September 16, 2013) Motion was made by Johnny Norris and seconded by Jon McFadden to approve the minutes for the September 16, 2013 meeting. Motion carried unanimously. 4 -0 3. Public Hearing to consider presentations by City of Paris Code Inspectors and owner(s) and /or lien holder(s) of the below properties who have been given notice of a violation of Article III of Chapter 7 of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Paris, Paris, Texas, entitled "Substandard and Dangerous Buildings and Structures ": Request was made by Robert Talley to move to item 3. B., 205 W Sherman, City of Paris, Block 137, Lot 4 B. 205 W Sherman, City of Paris, Block 137, Lot 4 Owner: We Reit LLC, 222 E Hickory St., Paris, TX 75460 Present: Jordan Harper, 2510 S. Church, Paris, TX 75460 No taxes owed. Mr. Talley stated that there are several out buildings also on the property and the structures are unsecure, holes in roof, roof damage, deterioration of the foundation and missing and deterioration of wood. Robert Talley's recommendation: 30 days to demolish if not the City has the right to demolish and apply a $1000 per day civil penalty. Mr. Harper stated that the property was purchased in July 2013 and he needs time to determine if they want to demolish or re- build. He requested 30 days to look at the property to access it. Motion was made by Johnny Norris, seconded by Zac Saffle to grant the property owner 30 days to access the property and determine if it needs to be demolished or can be fixed. After the 30 days they will get with Code Enforcement with their plans. Motion carried unanimously. 4 -0 C. 442 SW 2nd, City of Paris, Block 176, Lot 13 & 13B Owner: We Reit LLC, 222 E Hickory St., Paris, TX 75460 Present: Jordan Harper, 2510 S. Church, Paris, TX 75460 No taxes owed. Mr. Talley stated that the roof is buckling, rotting, and has holes. The structure has wood deterioration and holes in the side of the building. There is an out building that also has deteriorating wood, is buckling, and the deck is pulling away and it's loose. Robert Talley's recommendation: 30 days to demolish if not the City has the right to demolish and apply a $1000 per day civil penalty. Mr. Harper stated that the property was recently purchased and he needs time to determine if they want to repurpose this property. He requested 30 days to look at the property to access it. Motion was made by Johnny Norris, seconded by Jon McFadden to grant the property owner 30 days to access the property and determine if it needs to be demolished or can be fixed. After the 30 days they will get with Code Enforcement with their plans. Motion carried unanimously. 4 -0 D. 436 & 440 SW 2 °a, Block 176, Lot 14 Owner: We Reit LLC, 222 E Hickory St., Paris, TX 75460 Present: Jordan Harper, 2510 S. Church, Paris, TX 75460 No taxes owed. Robert Talley stated that there is foundation damage, the roof is collapsing, and the front of the structure is falling inward. Robert Talley's recommendation: 30 days to demolish if not the City has the right to demolish and apply a $1000 per day civil penalty. Mr. Harper stated that the property was purchased in July 2013 and he needs time to determine if they want to demolish or re- build. He requested 30 days to look at the property to access it. Johnny Norris asked if the structure was a danger to pedestrians. Robert Talley stated that the structure looks like its falling inward but that one never knows what will happen when it falls. Motion was made by Johnny Norris, seconded by Zac Saffle to grant the property owner 30 days to access the property and determine if it needs to be demolished or can be fixed. This property needs to be first on the list of properties to look at due to safety reasons. After the 30 days they will get with Code Enforcement with their plans. Motion carried unanimously. 4 -0 H. 119 W Provine, City of Paris, Block 79, Lot 8 Owner: LB Thomas, 675 23rd NW, Paris, TX 75460 Present: Debra Gray and Michael Thomas 675 NW 23rd Paris, TX 75460 $84.00 in back taxes owed. Robert Talley stated that the porch is collapsing, missing and deteriorated wood, siding is breaking loose from the structure, foundation is sinking so the structure is buckling, missing wood, holes in the roof and it's rotting. Robert Talley's recommendation: 30 days to demolish if not the City has the right to demolish and apply a $1000 per day civil penalty. Mrs. Gray stated that they are going to tear the house down. Johnny Norris asked her if 60 days would be enough time. Mrs. Gray agreed to 60 days. Motion was made by Johnny Norris, seconded by Jon McFadden to allow 60 days to demolish. Motion carried unanimously. 4 -0 M. 368 NE 1st, City of Paris, Block 58, Lot 5 Owner: John Robert & Clarice Holt, 3150 Dogwood Ln., Paris, TX 75460 Present: Clarice Holt, 3150 Dogwood Ln., Paris, TX 75460 $9963.97 owed in back taxes Robert Talley stated that the property has broken windows, it's unsecure, has deteriorating and missing wood, the roofs buckling, rear portion of the house is leaning out, hold in the roof, structure is starting to fall to the north. Robert Talley's recommendation: 30 days to demolish if not the City has the right to demolish and apply a $1000 per day civil penalty. Clarice Holt stated that she is planning to fix the property. She requested 90 days to fix it. Mr. Wilson asked Clarice if she understood that if the repairs are not completed in the 90 days she needed to go talk to Robert Talley in Code Enforcement. Motion was made by Zac Saffle, seconded by Johnny Norris to allow 90 days for repairs. Motion carried unanimously. 4 -0 G. 737 NW 1st, City of Paris, Block 79, Lot 14 Owner: George Preston, 16 Clarksville St., Paris, TX 75460 Present: George Preston, 16 Clarksville St. Paris, TX 75460 No taxes owed. Robert Talley showed pictures of the north side where the structure is unsecure, there is junk and rubbish all over the property, the windows are deteriorating, the inside is rotting and deteriorating, there is missing wood. The out building is has missing and deteriorating wood also. Robert Talley's recommendation: 30 days to demolish if not the City has the right to demolish and apply a $1000 per day civil penalty. George Preston stated that the roof on the garage is good. He stated the property hasn't been rented in the last 10 years due to the area having a high crime rate. He is looking for a tenant or a buyer. He agreed the front building may need to be demolished but that the garage is good. Motion was made by Johnny Norris, seconded by Jon McFadden to allow 90 days to demolish the front building and secure the garage and clean up the property. Motion carried unanimously. 4 -0 O. 440 NW 13th, Gorham Addition, Block 1, Lot 4 Owner: Charles Rudd II, PO Box 1461, Paris, TX 75460 Present: Charles Rudd 11, PO Box 1461, Paris, TX 75460 $395.73 owed in back taxes Mr. Talley stated that this property has been to BSC once already but was sold during that time. He stated the property is unsecure, it has missing doors and windows, animals were boarded up in the structure at one time, the structure is sinking, walls and roof are separating, there are holes in the porch, and there is scattered junk and rubbish on the property. Robert Talley's recommendation: 30 days to demolish if not the City has the right to demolish and apply a $1000 per day civil penalty. Mr. Rudd stated that he owns several properties in Paris and has recently paid off five of the properties. He has one left to pay off. He can spend $500 per month per structure to work on the properties starting next month. He assured that the committee will see improvements on the property within 30 days. He will also submit receipts to Mr. Talley if needed. There was a discussion between the committee members and Mr. Rudd about leveling the house, plumbing, and electrical. Motion was made by Johnny Norris, seconded by Jon McFadden to allow 90 days to secure and make substantial improvements to the property. Motion carried unanimously. 4 -0 P. 1730 W Walker, Colonial Addition, Block 1, Lot 4 Owner: Charles Rudd II, PO Box 1461, Paris, TX 75460 Present: Charles Rudd Il, PO Box 1461, Paris, TX 75460 $806.20 in back taxes owed Robert Talley stated that he has worked with Mr. Rudd for about three years on the original order to demolish in 30 days and during that time one of the owners sold out and the property changed hands. The structure is buckling, has trash and debris on the roof, broken windows, unsecure, a tree is growing in the house and one is growing out of the foundation, the inside is full of lumber and debris which is a fire hazard, the eaves of the house are damaged, missing boards, and there are holes in floor. Robert Talley's recommendation: 30 days to demolish if not the City has the right to demolish and apply a $1000 per day civil penalty. Charles stated that he ripped out the sheet rock, and wanted to put a new roof on the structure. He doesn't want to do anything to the inside until the roof is repaired. He stated that the vandals are busting the windows out and stealing the wiring. This property is paid in full and now he can start working on it. Motion was made by Zac Saffle, seconded by Jon McFadden for the structure to be secured immediately and allow 90 days to make substantial improvements. Motion carried unanimously. 4 -0 A. 349 NE 3rd, City of Paris, Block 59, Lot 20 Owner: VO Thomas, 910 W Cherry, Paris, TX 75460 $725.00 in back taxes owed. Mr. Thomas is deceased. Robert Talley has dealt with another property owned by this person on Connor Street. David Thomas from Grand Prairie has not contacted him yet. A gentleman contacted Mr. Talley about coming to the meeting today but did not show. The gentlemen wasn't a relative but wanted to repair the structure. There are trees growing into the house, it has deteriorating and missing wood, it's buckling, you can see the insulation where the siding has fallen off, the shingles are buckling, and there are broken boards. Robert Talley's recommendation: 30 days to demolish if not the City has the right to demolish and apply a $1000 per day civil penalty. Motion was made by Johnny Norris, seconded by Jon McFadden to accept Robert Talley's recommendation. Motion carried unanimously. 4 -0 E. 327 SW 4th, City of Paris, Block 118, Lot 27 Owner: Javier & Alicia Garcia, 527 Campbell St., Paris, TX 75460 $2642.90 in back taxes owed. No contact has been made with the owners. Robert Talley stated that a tree hit the roof and damaged the roof, it has missing and deteriorated wood, the sheet rock is separating on the inside, it's leaking, unsecure, and the add on is separating from the main structure. Robert Talley's recommendation: 30 days to demolish if not the City has the right to demolish and apply a $1000 per day civil penalty. Motion was made by Jon McFadden, seconded by Zac Saffle to accept Robert Talley's recommendation. Motion carried unanimously. 4 -0 F. 961 W Sherman, City of Paris, Block 133, Lot 1 Owner: ME Darnell Sr., 961 W Sherman, Paris, TX 75460 $1190.61 in back taxes owed. No contact has been made with the owner. Mr. Darnell no longer lives at this property. Robert Talley stated that in June Mr. Darnell was given 90 days to demo the main structure and nothing has been done. At that meeting Mr. Darnell and Attorney Gary Wait were present. Mr. Talley stated the foundation is sinking, window frames are buckling, the roof is swaying, there is a tree on the roof and is a fire hazard, the add on at the back is leaning, the shingles are deteriorated, it has missing and deteriorated wood, broken windows, and the out building was supposed to be demolished in 60 days and it's still there also. The back structure on the property has collapsed. Robert Talley's recommendation: 30 days to demolish the entire property if not the City has the right to demolish and apply a $1000 per day civil penalty. Motion was made by Jon McFadden, seconded by Johnny Norris to accept Robert Talley's recommendation. Motion carried unanimously. 4 -0 I. 615 NW 6th, Hayes Addition, Block 1, Lot 9 Owner: Felix E & EF Bronner, Po Box 201, Detroit, TX 75436 No taxes owed. Felix is deceased and his wife agrees the structure needs to be demolished. She needs time to clean the property out. Robert Talley stated that the garage behind the main structure is starting to collapse. Robert Talley's recommendation: 30 days to demolish if not the City has the right to demolish and apply a $1000 per day civil penalty. Motion was made by Zac Saffle, seconded by Johnny Norris to accept Robert Talley's recommendation. Motion carried unanimously. 4 -0 J. 815 Graham, City of Paris, Block 45, Lot 3 Owner: David E. Kennison, 3980 FR 195, Paris, TX 75462 $6304.88 owed in taxes. No contact has been made with the owner. Robert Talley stated the structure is deteriorating, unsecure, the windows are open, the inside is damaged, the ceiling is falling, and a hole is in the roof. Robert Talley's recommendation: 30 days to demolish if not the City has the right to demolish and apply a $1000 per day civil penalty. Motion was made by Johnny Norris, seconded by Jon McFadden to accept Robert Talley's recommendation. Motion carried unanimously. 4 -0 K. 945 W Cherry, City of Paris, Block 51, Lot 1 Owner: Kenneth Frierson, 945 W Cherry, Paris, TX 75460 $1134.81 owed in taxes. No contact has been made with the owner. Robert Talley stated this property was brought to BSC in June and orders were given to repair the structure in 90 days. Mr. Frierson started work on the structure and stopped. The porch is missing, it's unsecure, the inside is full of junk and rubbish, the roof has deterioration and holes in it, the carport has collapsed, there is a fence in the back yard with an old truck behind it and the fence is falling. Robert Talley's recommendation: 30 days to demolish if not the City has the right to demolish and apply a $1000 per day civil penalty. Motion was made by Johnny Norris, seconded by Zac Saffle to accept Robert Talley's recommendation. Motion carried unanimously. 4 -0 L. 924 W Houston, City of Paris, Block 46, Lot 11 Owner: Stuart B & Carol A Weitz, 5 Hartland CT, Colonia, NJ 08067 No taxes owned on this property. Robert Talley talked to Steve Coker the manager of the property. The property is unsecure, has a hole on the side of the roof, has water damage inside, and has deterioration on the edge of the roof. The owner asked for 60 days to repair the property. Robert Talley's recommendation: 60 days to repair and secure the property. Motion was made by Johnny Norris, seconded by Jon McFadden to accept Robert Talley's recommendation to repair and secure the property. Motion carried unanimously. 4 -0 N. 602 NE 1St, City of Paris, Block 92, Lot 5 Owner: Jimmy Furtch, 325 NW 13th, Paris, TX 75460 $1382.30 owed in taxes. No contact has been made with the property owner. Robert Talley stated that there is a hole in the roof, deterioration on the roof line, it's unsecure, roof is collapsing, sway in the roof, and the foundation is damaged. Mr. Talley had talked to the owner in the past and they had put two new windows in the front of the structure but that's all that was done. Robert Talley's recommendation: 30 days to demolish if not the City has the right to demolish and apply a $1000 per day civil penalty. Motion was made by Zac Saffle, seconded by Johnny Norris to accept Robert Talley's recommendation. Motion carried unanimously. 4 -0 4. Code Enforcement update. (1.) Robert Talley stated that he received an award from the City Council for the number of demolitions and the report he presented to them. He expressed to the Committee that he wanted to share this award with them because without them he would not have received this award. Robert explained the report to the committee. There was a discussion that the tearing down of buildings has slowed down. Mr. Norris asked about 201 Bonham and Robert Talley stated that he will bring that structure back to BSC in November. Mr. Wilson said that in the September meeting we had 10 -15 on the list that were demolished and now we have 8. He expressed that 8 a month will not cut it. The Fire Chief explained that it is taking a couple of months to get the services cut off the properties and that we are working as fast as we can. He also explained that the weather will slow down the process also. We have 35 structures in the pipeline at this time. The Fire Chief also explained the process of the inspection of the downtown buildings and that in January we are going to start physically inspecting downtown to make sure it's safe. At this time we have 60 -70 identified structure for demolition. Mr. Wilson asked about the house on W. Houston that has a hole in the roof and it is occupied. The Fire Chief stated that unless the City if ready to get into the re- location business we are putting this structure on the back burner. We are avoiding this if possible. (2). Jon McFadden asked if he could get a file of our database so he could organized the property in order for him to go look at them. Robert Talley stated yes. 5. Discuss assessing civil penalties on 134 SW 1St. In 2012 a violation notice was sent out to the owner about the meeting on 2/20/12. Nothing was done at that time. Another notice was sent out 6/8/12 about the meeting at 6/18/12. At the 6/18/12 meeting a $10 per day civil penalty was assessed to the property per day. The owner hired Richard Hunt to repair the roof and at this time it is not leaking but the other repairs were not completed. The broken glass in the windows is still there along with other violations. Mr. Wilson explained that he was under the impression that if the civil penalties were not paid that they could turn into something else. Stephanie Harris (Attorney for the City) explained that you can file this with the District Clerk's office and it goes to the District Judge for a judgment. Mr. Wilson explained that the civil penalty was set at $10 per day and asked if we could bring the property back to BSC and increase the penalty to try to get the property owners attention. Stephanie Harris said as long as the property is brought back to the committee they can increase the civil penalty. Mr. Wilson told Mr. Talley if there are any more properties similar to this case to bring them back to the committee in a timelier manner. 6. Future agenda items. (1.) The old Belk building has a hole in the back of it. 7. Adjournment Motion was made by Johnny Norris, seconded by Jon McFadden to adjourn the meeting at 4:55pm. Motion carried unanimously. 4 -0 APPROVED THIS 18t' DAY OF NOVEMBER 2013. f Chairman