Ten months after a fire destroyed a Main Street house, there’s still no word on when the structure will be torn down.
The fenced-off property on the corner of 104 Street has remained virtually unchanged since the April 23, 2013 inferno that destroyed the structure — with the exception of the grass and weeds that grew all summer.
Westlock town manager Dean Krause said while it may not look like there’s been progress, the town is working to rectify the situation under its unsightly premises bylaw.
“I can’t talk specifically on that property because of the proceedings in place,” he said. “We’re hoping that the whole situation is resolved in the next couple of months.”
He added that while legal proceedings are ongoing, the situation is made more complicated because there are insurance companies involved, which results in a longer process.
Several fires were deliberately set in the home, leading to arson charges against three teenagers. Westlock firefighters spent three hours on the scene before getting the blaze under control, and another three hours dousing it. Two of the three boys involved have already pleaded guilty and been sentenced for the incident, while a third awaits trial.
In the meantime, what remains of the house has been sitting untouched.
In general, when properties that are deemed “unsightly” — a term loosely defined resulting in a judgment call made for any specific property — the property owners are given a verbal warning to clean it up.
“Timelines are given, and if they’re not complied with an order is issued. If the order is not complied with the town can apply to the courts to enforce the order, and the town can go in to remedy the situation,” Krause said.
While the potential is there, it’s very uncommon for the town to get to the point where it does the work itself.
“We like to work with the residents first, so typically it starts off with either a verbal or written warning or request to correct the situation,” he said.
“For the town to actually remedy the situation I would say it’s a rarity; 99.9 per cent of residents comply.”
Krause said the only recent situation where working with the homeowner to clean up a property wasn’t successful came last summer.
“I know there was a derelict trailer in Whissellville that the town actually went in and removed the trailer this past summer,” he said. “There’s also another property that we’re dealing with, but the owner has taken steps to rectify that house.”
When the town does have to take action, any costs incurred cleaning up the property are applied to that property’s tax bill. If taxes are two years in arrears, then the town can apply to the courts to auction the property off to recover the money.
