By Erin Smith
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When one drives through Bladen County you notice farm fields, wooded areas and the occasional blighted property. When it comes to cleaning up dilapidated mobile homes and burned out houses, Bladen County Manager Greg Elkins said there is little the county can do.
For example, on NC 41 East, near White Lake, a burned out mobile home sits along with an abandoned dump truck. Further up NC 41 East there sits a home with a partially collapsed roof and a junked car in the yard. There are other areas of the county suffering from blighted properties, as well.
Elkins said the county does not have a minimum housing standard policy nor does it have a policy for abandoned structures. He said his staff will contact the property owner and try to learn what their plans are when they are contacted about abandoned or nuisance structures
“I don’t have an ordinance to force them (the property owner) to do anything,” said Elkins.
He added the Bladen County Commissioners are going to look at possibly creating such an ordinance to help in dealing with these issues.
Elkins said he has a zoning ordinance that deals with such things as illegal dumping, junked cars, trash and littering. He said often when County staff contacts someone about the condition of their property, they will clean it up.
The municipalities in Bladen County do have housing standards and nuisance ordinances.
The town of Elizabethtown has been dealing with one issue for a couple of years. A home owned by John Currie on West Broad has been the subject of Code Enforcement actions in the past. Currently, a sign in the yard proclaims the house as uninhabitable.
Elizabethtown Town Manager Eddie Madden said the town conducted an inspection of the property and found evidence of black mold, ceilings collapsed in some rooms and trash. There is also furniture remaining inside the home.
“I have met with Mr. Currie on several different occasions and each time he has indicated a willingness to sell his property. The last meeting I had with him, he was to provide me with the payoff to his mortgage so that he could potentially find a buyer or at least put it under contract,” said Madden. “He contacted me a few days after my visit and notified me he was going to his bank that day and that is the last I’ve heard from him.”
Madden said that several individuals have contacted the town office inquiring about the possibility of purchasing the property and he said town staff has directed the individuals to contact Currie directly.
The town of Elizabethtown has a set of abandoned building regulations in their municipal code to assist them in dealing with these situations. These regulations specify that an abandoned structure officer will go out to inspect the property upon receipt of complaints. According to the ordinance, if the property is determined to be a nuisance, the property owner is notified and a hearing is scheduled no more than 30 days after the inspection.
Following the hearing, a determination will be issued in writing as to the findings made at the hearing. The owner will then have 90 days to repair or clean up the property. If the property owner fails to clean or repair the property, the town can clean it or repair it at the expense of the owner. The ordinance also gives the town council the authority to direct the Town Attorney to seek relief through the Superior Court.
Madden said efforts to contact Currie have been unsuccessful his visit to Jacksonville.
The town of Bladenboro has a nuisance ordinance in place as well. The ordinance states the Town Clerk will notify the appropriate officials or County Health Department when a nuisance complaint is received and an investigation will take place. If it is determined that nuisance exists, the Town Clerk will notify the landowner and they will be given sufficient time to clean up their property.
If the landowner does not clean up, the ordinance specifies the town may clean the property and send a bill to the owner for the expenses incurred by the town.
Town Administrator Blake Proctor said, “There is nothing in process right now.”
He explained due to the devastation from Hurricane Florence the town is trying to work with the property owners who are attempting to repair damages they received as a result of the storm.
Proctor said, in a related matter, that he has received a list of 43 residential properties with FEMA damage estimates. He said he will be mailing those estimates to the property owners along with a cover letter explaining the appeals process.
The town of Clarkton is also dealing with an issue with a home owned by David Butler on Graham Street. The property is described as having trees down in the yard, the yard is unkept and the home has been empty for a while. The town has sent letters to Mr. Butler requesting he clean the property up.
At the January meeting of the Town Board, Town Attorney Cliff Hester said he would review the town’s ordinances to see if the property’s condition violates the town’s nuisance ordinance. The Town Board is awaiting Hester’s opinion before pursuing the matter further.
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