Council orders demolition of Great Rock Road property
For more than a decade, neighbors have complained to the city about trash and terrible odors coming from the two-story wood house at 2253 Great Rock Road. Tonight, official action was taken.
During a March 23 meeting, the City Council entered into a settlement agreement and passed a resolution officially securing the demolition of the house located at 2253 Great Rock Road. Mayor Butch Zaragoza said the cost of demolition is not to exceed $14,900.
The decision comes after months of investigation by the city. In July 2014, Building Official Keith Blanton and Fire Marshal Greg Gilchrist verified the property as a public nuisance and that the amount of material found inside the home was a fire hazard. On Sept. 22, Attorney Ben Goldman with the law firm of Hand Arendall LLC presented the City Council with photographs taken on the property and within the home.
"This is a sad situation," Goldman said. "The scope of the work needed to repair the structure is significant. The city has been attempting to work with the homeowner for years."
During the September meeting, the council declared the home owned by Brenda Fields to be unsafe and ordered it demolished. However, Fields’ attorney, Frank “Trip” Galloway III, filed an appeal of the council's decision to Jefferson County Circuit Court on Oct. 2.
Photos of the inside of the home taken by the city showed large piles of debris and garbage and a home in severe disrepair. Goldman said the case has gone on for years because as the city would respond to complaints, Fields would try to address them. But then the problems would arise again, and the cycle would start all over.
Downes said the city ultimately beefed up its ordinance dealing with unsafe structures in January 2013, making it easier to respond to the problems on Great Rock Road.
Previous coverage of property located at 2253 Great Rock Road: