Published: September 21, 2008 09:26 pm      

Keyser resident: Clean up property or get rid of it

Vacant home on South Main Street in ‘deplorable’ condition

KEYSER, W.Va. — A Keyser resident appealed to the Keyser City Council to try again to get the owners of a deteriorating South Main Street property to either clean it up or get rid of it.

Jennifer High said the unoccupied property at 220 S. Main St., located across the street from her home, has been in “deplorable” condition for longer than the 18 years that she has lived there.

“The house is actually leaning on someone else’s property ... and it’s infested,” she said during last week’s council meeting. “In the back, the grass is up above the fence line.”

High said she understood that the city has attempted to contact the owners of the property to get remediation, but “things seem to be caught up with the attorneys.”

City Building Inspector Earl Perrine confirmed that he has tried to contact the family — a niece and nephew of the original property owner — but “they are very difficult to reach.”

He has not tried to reach them, he said, within the last year.

Councilman Dave Sowers noted that he has recently “tried several times to call” but was unable to reach the family.

Noting that the city “has to go through the legal steps,” Mayor Glen “Bunk” Shumaker directed Perrine to send a registered letter to the family, in accordance with the city’s building ordinance.

“Let’s stay on it this time,” Councilman Ed Miller said.

In other business that came before the council Monday:

• The council approved the annual payment of $5,000 to the Potomac Valley Soil Conservation District for help with the maintenance of Dam Site 14. The city is now getting $14,000 for gas rights at the dam, which covers the cost of the maintenance.

• Miller was appointed to represent the city on the Potomac Valley Transit Authority Board, replacing former councilman George Chidester.

• Mike Simpson was approved as the new chief of the Keyser Volunteer Fire Department, and Chris Paitsel was approved as assistant chief. They were elected to their posts by the fire department membership.

• Chief Karen Shoemaker announced that the Keyser Police Department will host the West Virginia Chiefs of Police conference next year.

• Parks Commissioner Sonny Alt announced that work in the city’s parks has included repairing electrical outlets at the West End Playground, installing dusk-to-dawn lights on the basketball court at the South End Playground and mulching the Laffey-Parsons Playground.

• Sowers announced that work in the city’s streets department has included re-striping some of the city’s parking lots, painting the equipment at Laffey-Parsons Playground and repairing potholes.

He is soliciting prices on the possible milling and paving of several streets, including St. Cloud, Arnold, Carroll, D Extended, E Extended, Newton, upper A and Crescent Drive.

• Finance Commissioner Jim Endler reported that the city’s lab performed 110 tests for outside customers, bringing in $3,093 over the past month.

• Water Commissioner Sonny Rhodes announced that Water Distribution Supervisor Sonny Gank is obtaining estimates for the breaching of Limestone Dam. The former water source for the city was declared unusable several years ago.

The council will meet in work session Monday at 4:30 p.m.