It's true, there is a house falling down in the Town of Oakfield and -- if all goes according to law -- it will only be a bad memory come Aug. 21.
Local authorities gave Thomas Capwell until then to tear down the delapidated house he owns on Fisher Road and he has agreed to do so.
His promise was made at Tuesday night's Town Council meeting after members had already voted on the matter.
Capwell arrived a half hour into the meeting. By then, the council had set the tear-down date and -- on a motion made by Councilman Michael Cianfrini seconded by Councilman Tim Kabel -- voted to have a town crew do the job at the owner's expense if the deadline is not met.
They also agreed to allow a maximum of 30 days to remove the debris.
Before voting, some council members expressed skepticism that Capwell would comply in a timely fashion. It's not like this is a new issue.
Oakfield code enforcer Tom Smith said the house was posted back in 2006 as "uninhabitable." But he also noted that it was built before some codes existed or were enforced.
According to Ritchie Kirkum Jr, the house has been in seriously bad repair for quite some time now.
"I fully intend to take it down and clean it up," Capwell told the Town Council, although he expressed concern about being given only 30 days to haul away the debris.
GREAT NEWS! GREAT REPORTING!
GREAT NEWS! GREAT REPORTING!
watch out for an increase in
watch out for an increase in mosquito population Ritchie :)
Come out to my area some
Come out to my area some night and stand still for 3 seconds, you'll think, "How can there possible be any MORE mosquitos?! LOL. We're in the swamps!
It is in the swamps....they
It is in the swamps....they can't get much worse! What we can look forward to is having a yard that we can finally use without the worry of rats, bats, or a house falling on top of us! I am more than willing to buy some bug spray for that!
I'd be more concerned about
I'd be more concerned about where the rats, bats, and other vermin are going to go after they lose their home.
I'll have to stand there with
I'll have to stand there with a net, a gun, rat poison, body armor etc. lol
Could 10 Genesee County
Could 10 Genesee County Carpenters, agree to build these wonderful gifts fom God,(Bats) a place to live before you evict them? With 2" x 4"'s, 4" x 4"'s and a roof they will draw attention to your Town, and that brings tourist dollars. Ask for that Stimulus Money, then put it to work. My Grandfather did as much, during the last major depression, many times by himself, just to please Grandma. Bats deserve more respect for the wonderful work they do. Bat Guano is money, don't shun it, help produce it. Love your bats like Austin does.
Bea, bats aren't vermin. A
Bea, bats aren't vermin. A single bat will eat about 3000 mosquitoes each night. I know the mosquitoes are bad but they'd be even worse without the bats.
Sorry, Doug It was just an
Sorry, Doug
It was just an expression, not an indictment.
You are right, they are pest control.
Dont forget about Batman, and
Dont forget about Batman, and Batgirl either ! Oh, and the little Batboys too.
Hugs, Bea. :-) I know I
Hugs, Bea. :-)
I know I should chill on the correcting thing but it just "bugs" me when misconceptions are perpetuated.
For Example: My own grandfather HATED snakes and he was a dairy farmer. I can remember riding on the hay wagon at baling time and he would literally stop the tractor, chase down any snake he saw and kill it with a .22 pistol he carried with him. I could never understand his logic until I was older and realized he just had an irrational fear of snakes. His farmer brain should've realized that it's good to have snakes around the barn as well as cats.
*sigh*
Lol Gabor, who doesn't like a
Lol Gabor, who doesn't like a batgirl in a skin tight, leather suit?
lol, you both need a life!
lol, you both need a life! batgirl; batboy; batman and tight leather suits?????
How could I forget the bats?
How could I forget the bats? Tom Smith (Town of Oakfield's Code Enforcement Officer) mentioned that he was aware there could be vermin - but he said there didn't appear to be any.
I'll check into it and get back to everyone about the possibility of those guys "hanging" around...
I remember when they tore
I remember when they tore down the buildings on Main St.
The birds that nested in those old buildings for generations needed new homes.
It was a nightmare.
Good for you Ritchie, you
Good for you Ritchie, you took action and got results. This should make things a lot better for you and your family.
I just spoke with Tom Smith
I just spoke with Tom Smith and he reiterated that he can't write anyone up for rodents because hasn't seen any rodents or bats living in the house. He's been visiting the premises repeatedly over the last week or so.
He also said that all the equipment to tear it down is at the house, ready to go.
Thanks for the update,
Thanks for the update, Brittany.
Howard whats the Helicopter
Howard whats the Helicopter hovering over Batavia about. Its been out here 10 minutes now?