City declares Arbor East residence 'unsafe' | News | cullmantimes.com

Oct 24, 2024

Residents of the Arbor East subdivision are likely to begin seeing relief in the coming weeks after petitioning the Cullman City Council to address an abandoned residence in September.

On Monday, Oct. 21, the council approved a resolution to officially declare an abandoned residence located at 1509 Bower Drive SE as “unsafe, uninhabitable and a threat to public safety,” which will allow the city to have the structure demolished at the owner’s expense.

More than 60 Arbor East residents signed a petition, which was presented to the council last month, requesting an abandoned residence, located at 1509 Bower Drive SE, be demolished and the overgrown property be cleaned up. The owner, Karen Bowling, abandoned the residence in 2019 and neighbors said the property has since become a “public safety issue,” which has lead to increased pests and overhanging limbs falling into nearby yards.

“The house needs to be torn down and the property cleaned,” neighbor Bobby Bowden told the council on Sept. 9. “We need your help. Nothing can be done without the action of this council.”

The city’s previous attempts to address the issue through fines and citations proved unsuccessful. Bowling pled guilty to Failure to Appear charges in July after missing court dates for a citation from the City of Cullman Building Department on two separate occasions. City attorney Luke Satterfield said she had made it clear that she had no intention of repairing or demolishing the home.

Residents continued to address their concerns on Monday. Leon Creel said he took it upon himself to keep up the property’s yard for several years.

“I’d like to see the place cleaned up and done away with if that’s possible,” Creel said.

City of Cullman Building Inspector Brandon Lewis corroborated the residents’ statements based upon recent inspections of the property. Lewis said the home had shown signs of being used by “unauthorized persons,” and the interior had been extensively vandalized. He also said the structural components of the home had begun to fail which could present a danger to first responders in the event of a fire or emergency.

“Because it’s been left without maintenance the roof and floor structure has started to fail in multiple locations,” Lewis said. “Based on the current condition of the property and the fact that it is unsafe, I would recommend that the city move forward with a remedy for this issue.”

The city will now be required to wait 10 days to offer Bowling an opportunity to appeal the resolution in Circuit Court, after which it will be able to move forward with demolishing the home within 20 days. Work is required to be completed within 180 days from the end of Bowling’s appeal opportunity.

During a work session preceding the meeting, the council discussed the possibility of seeking bids from outside contractors to complete the work because of the tight timeframe, but said city work crews would be utilized if needed.

Mayor Woody Jacobs said while the city has demolished unsafe structures in the past, this would be the first time such an extensive legal process has been needed to do so. He praised the residents’ patience and decorum during what he said has been a frustrating process for them.

“We had to get some ordinances in order and some things had to happen to make sure we’re legal — and we are legal on this. I just appreciate everyone’s patience and our legal team for getting all of this in order. They did work very hard to work with the owner, but to no avail. You hate to go this route, but sometimes you have to,” Jacobs said.

In other business the council:

— Removed an item from the agenda to approve a tax abatement for PGI Holdings LLC for a new industrial project with a capital investment of $1,050,000. The council planned to add the item to the agenda for its next scheduled meeting.

— Removed an item from the agenda to approve a tax abatement for “Project Vance,” described as a major addition to an existing facility with a capital investment of $43,000,000. The council planned to add the item to the agenda for its next scheduled meeting.

— Held a public hearing to rezone property located at 916 Parker Avenue SW from R-3 to R-2.

— Approved a special event request from Adam Clark with the Cullman Police Department to hold the annual CPD Trunk or Treat and Movie Night Oct. 29.

— Approved a special event request from Greg Speegle of Cullman Moose Lodge for the annual Turkey Shoots every Saturday morning in November and December.

— Approved a special event request from Zachary Ivey of 1729 Churchill Lane SE for a tailgate party with live music at his residence Nov. 9 from 1 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.

— Approved a special event request from Jonathan Creekmore of The Link of Cullman County for a community trunk or treat, 708 9th Street SE, Oct. 25.

— Approved a special event request from Tanya Carter for the Cullman Warehouse District to hose the annual Warehouse District Open House, 1st Ave. NE, Nov. 9, from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.

— Awarded the bid for the construction of the 4th Ave. SW downtown streetscape improvement TAP grant project to Bulls Construction Group, LLC in the amount of $1,086,846. $800,000 of the funds will be supplied through federal grants.

— Held the first readings of the following ordinances:

- To annex Pioneer Land Acquisitions, LLC property located on AL Hwy. 31 and County Road 715 as B-2 business district.

- To adopt an electronic records management policy.

- To vacate and surplus a portion of Lot 1 Block 5 Ratliff Hancock Subdivision Bauers addition.

- To confirm and ratify the levy of taxes for educational purposes in the city of Cullman.

Patrick Camp can be reached at 256-734-2131 ext. 238