Wednesday, 05 December 2007 00:52
River Pines Fire Clean Up
The county will be cleaning up the rubble and
burned walls remaining from a
River Pines home that was totally destroyed in a fire last October. Partially
burned walls, piles of lumber and trash, propane tanks and other debris are not only an eyesore, but
also a safety hazard at the property on 14725 Emigrant Trail in River Pines.
Owner Michael Coe said
he doesn’t have the money to pay for clean up since his insurance company has
not paid him for his loss, and he is currently making a mortgage payment
on the house as well as rent payments for a place to live.
Coe told county Code Enforcement Officer Linda Van
Vleck that the insurance company is still investigating and won’t pay until
they interview his wife, Becky. If they do pay out, according to Van Vleck, it
won’t be for at least another 6 months. At a discussion about the problem at
this week’s Board of Supervisors meeting, the supervisors’ consensus was that
this was an unacceptable health and safety nuisance situation for a property
right in town. They authorized County Code Enforcement to have the property
cleared off at a cost of $8,000 – and place a lien on the Coes’ property until
the Coes can repay the county or the property is sold. If the Coes won’t agree
to a voluntary lien, the county will take a code enforcement action to collect
on the costs.
