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Photo by Ali Renckens
City attorney Ben Goldman (right) shows images of Deborah Reinhardt's front porch during a public hearing regarding her residence.
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Photo by Ali Renckens
Deborah Reinhardt discusses her property, which was the subject of a public hearing on June 27.
Concerned about potential vermin infestations and a decrease in property values, neighbors first filed complaints about a house on Indian Creek Drive in 2014. Inspections since then have led city officials to express concern about the structural integrity and sanitation of the property.
At their meeting on June 29, the Vestavia Hills City Council held a public hearing regarding the proposed demolition of the house.
Vestavia Hills police officer Jimmy Coleman said that he and building official Keith Blanton tried repeatedly to work with the homeowner, Deborah Reinhardt, over the past two years, but that the property continues to lack healthy maintenance, and shows signs of water damage, mold and rotting and excessive debris.
City attorney Ben Goldman, who deals with unsightly, blighted homes, cited concerns about sanitation and health, insect and rodent infestations and fire safety.
A neighbor who lives across the street from the home in question said, “I know it [hoarding] is a sickness and I never meant for her to be hurt…this is about us buying an expensive house and wanting to keep our value.”
“I don’t have any actual information,” Reinhardt said, when asked to give her defense. “If my addiction had been alcohol, rather than hoarding, people would be more sympathetic, but my mental illness shows up on my front porch.”
The council agreed to postpone making a decision until their meeting on July 25. In order to keep her property from demolition, Goldman said that Reinhardt needed to redeem her property, compose an “acceptable plan” for cleaning it out, which would include finding a contractor who can take handle it in a matter of weeks, deal with the structural issues and come up with a way to pay for repairs.
Before the July 25 public hearing, Goldman, Blanton and City Manager Jeff Downes agreed to talk with her about the situation further.
Goldman said it would take a “tremendous amount of work to redeem the property.”
“My son is working six to eight hours every day, cleaning,” Reinhardt said. “I want to comply, I want to get out of Vestavia and not be an issue for my neighbors… no one thinks I want this.”
Also at the meeting:
- The council agreed to allow the appointment of a temporary, part-time employee to assist in fire department and police inspections.
- The council declared a property that has been given several warnings a “weed and other vegetation nuisance” and directed Downes to abate said nuisance.
- Downes was given authority and directed to enter into two agreements with EMS Management & Consultants, Inc. to handle the billing of the fire department.
- I Love America Day will be Thursday, June 30.
- Downes announced a new website page on the Vestavia Hills website that will be updated weekly with news on Vestavia projects. The page can be found on the Vestavia Hills website by clicking on “Community,” “news and events,” then “projects.”
- Last Saturday’s Slide the City event proved a success. The final count of attendees was more than 2,800, which far exceeded expectations. “The event made for great community-building and branding.” Downes said. The city hopes to host the event again next year.
- The second First Friday will be held at Rocky Ridge on July 1.
- City Hall will be closed July 4.
- The city is working with Mountain Brook, Jefferson County and Birmingham on a repaving project. Some officials in Jefferson County have expressed a desire to lead the repaving of a section of the project. Downes said that other community leaders have been “verbally supportive” and the road has already been significantly improved.
- The new Chick-fil-A on Montgomery Highway should open July 21.
- Melvin Turner, III, the city’s finance director, announced that the Vestavia budget “came in better than expected.”
- The council voted to approve the 2014-15 audit for the city.
