Sometimes it Pays

Sometimes it pays to let your voice be heard.  There is an uninhabited (except, perhaps, by wildlife) house in my neighborhood that can be seen from my deck and my yard.  A huge tree fell on that house when Hurricane Isabel swept through in Sept. 2003.  Since that time the house has had a tarp of some form on it, but no noticeable repairs.  The original damage was mostly in the rear of the house, although you could still see some of the tarp draping.  We had a 21-inch snowfall in December of 2009, followed by two 20+ inch snows in February of 2010.  The second February snow took down the tarp setup and the front wall of the second story.  About a month later the owners cleaned up some of the debris and set up a new jerry-rigged tarp set-up.  This new rig looked awful and was very much in evidence.  Then at the end of January this year we had a seven-inch snow--not very much, but very wet and very heavy--and the newer tarp setup was ripped to shreds.  And there it sits.  It has been several weeks, and the owners, I know, have been notified, but no more action has occurred.

Enough is enough!  Yesterday I notified the county inspections and permits department of this situation, figuring that nothing much would happen but that I would feel better for having tried.  A courtesy copy to the community association president got forwarded to the community relations person for the county.  By today I have received responses from all concerned.  I'm feeling much better about our county government!!

Apparently a permit application to bulldoze the place was submitted in November but there were problems with the application that have, to date, not be satisfied.  It seems the local fire department got involved on Monday and they are pushing the issue.  After seven and a half years, I think it's about time!