My Vacant House Project - Page 2

raisethehammer · #21 Posted **Jun 5, 2008, 2:58 AM**

many people have tried to get him to care. I applaud your efforts, but caution you to not waste too much time on him. Hopefully you find someone at city staff who will work with you and make your time productive.
Morelli won't. He hasn't for decades.

FairHamilton · #22 Posted **Jun 5, 2008, 12:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

many people have tried to get him to care. I applaud your efforts, but caution you to not waste too much time on him. Hopefully you find someone at city staff who will work with you and make your time productive.
Morelli won't. He hasn't for decades.

He may not care, but he's going to be aware and unable to ignore my project

BrianE · #23 Posted **Jun 5, 2008, 1:43 PM**

Your response from Morelli seems odd to me. I sent a single email to him about supporting light rail and asking about a dog park in Gage Park and he phoned me on a Saturday of all days to talk about my questions.

Maybe he wasn't busy that week.

It's definitely odd that your getting a bit of a brush off considering his campaign focussed on cracking down on crime and enforcing property standards.

raisethehammer · #24 Posted **Jun 5, 2008, 1:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianE

Your response from Morelli seems odd to me. I sent a single email to him about supporting light rail and asking about a dog park in Gage Park and he phoned me on a Saturday of all days to talk about my questions.

Maybe he wasn't busy that week.

It's definitely odd that your getting a bit of a brush off considering his campaign focussed on cracking down on crime and enforcing property standards.

campaign?? when, back in 1980??
he hasn't run a campaign in years.
He didn't even bother to show up at the only in-ward debate during the last campaign.

FairHamilton · #25 Posted **Jun 5, 2008, 3:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianE

Your response from Morelli seems odd to me. I sent a single email to him about supporting light rail and asking about a dog park in Gage Park and he phoned me on a Saturday of all days to talk about my questions.

Odd to me as well, especially when I thought I was being 'civic minded'. Maybe he's a dog owner...........

Anyways the wheels are now turning. Email from today:
Councillor Morelli and Mr. Tetley

We will input your complaint and have an inspector investigate.

Judy: please action and cc inspector a copy of this email and to report back to me with an update.

thanks
Carmela

FairHamilton · #26 Posted **Jun 6, 2008, 2:48 PM**

Today's update.

Headed to the bus this morning and low and behold there's an official looking notice taped to the front door of the house. Overjoyed, I bound up the house's front steps, a dangerous move since the stairs sag with every normal step..

As I had to catch a bus, I didn't have much time to read it thoroughly. But, it's a notice from the city to remove garbage (funny that's not one on my problems, the property seems pretty garbage free) and to cut any vegetation over 8" in height. Must be completed by June 8th!!!!

Not a result of my complaint (I was saving that one to be my mid-late June complaint), but a good start to making this a thorn in the owner's side.

Since the owner simply pays the property taxes year in, and year out, without apparent pain. One of my goals is to increase his pain and have many more dollars added to his tax bill from all the maintenance and repairs the city does on the property and puts on the tax bill. I'm confident he won't do the work, so I counting on the city to do it, and do it at city rates.

FairHamilton · #27 Posted **Jun 21, 2008, 3:06 AM**

My latest update:

Hi Judy,

I'm writing this email, because a few minutes ago (10:50pm) I again witnessed 2 raccoons scaling the rear staircase and enter through the holes in the rear flat roof.

Can you please update me to the status of the investigation on this site.

Thanks!

FairHamilton · #28 Posted **Jul 6, 2008, 3:04 PM**

On Friday July 4th, action was taken (by the city I assume) to secure the house with plywood.

Holes in flat roof covered with plywood, broken window covered with plywood, hole in garage roof, front garage door and broken garage window covered with plywood.

So the squeaky wheel does get the grease.........

NuclearNerd · #29 Posted **Jul 6, 2008, 6:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by FairHamilton

I was hoping they lived in a nice Ancaster neighbourhood, and lived in a nice well kept home.

The problem with your stereotype is that property is a poor measure of wealth. Likely the house on your street belonged to a parent of the folks who live in Ancaster. They might not have enough to buy two houses, but they can afford to pay property taxes on an inherited house, in the hopes that one day it might be worth something. If that's the case though, letting the place crumble isn't helping their income potential. They should sell it for whatever they can get, and use the money to clean up their Ancaster home!

Congrats with your success at the bylaw office. You're inspiring me!

FairHamilton · #30 Posted **Jul 6, 2008, 9:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by NuclearNerd

The problem with your stereotype is that property is a poor measure of wealth. Likely the house on your street belonged to a parent of the folks who live in Ancaster. They might not have enough to buy two houses, but they can afford to pay property taxes on an inherited house, in the hopes that one day it might be worth something. If that's the case though, letting the place crumble isn't helping their income potential. They should sell it for whatever they can get, and use the money to clean up their Ancaster home!

Congrats with your success at the bylaw office. You're inspiring me!

Never tried to measure wealth, I was only measuring 'Pride in Ownership', which they seem to lack. And I don't think this has anything to do with finances, it has to do with there personalities. Their home in the nice Ancaster neighbourhood has 6 cars in the driveway with 2 or 3 of them rotting away on blocks. I'm sure their neighbours in Ancaster are just as pleased with them as I am......

Actually, I was speaking to a neighbour across the road last week who's been on the street since 1983. She told me the opposite to your assumption, they were a young couple with children, and a parent (or parents) becane ill and they left to help out and never returned...........

FairHamilton · #31 Posted **Jul 8, 2008, 5:41 PM**

My email to the City bylaw department

Hi Judy and Frances,

I'm sending this note to thank-you for your attention to my complaint regarding 22 Fairholt Road South.

I see at the end of last week, the unsecured areas of the house (roof, window, garage) were all sealed with sheets of plywood. Based on the professional quality of the work, I'm assuming it was either completed by the City, or completed under the City's supervision.

Thank-you for your help on this matter, and I wanted to let you know your help is very much appreciated by myself, and other neighbours on Fairholt Road South.

Judy's response

THANKYOU, and yes we instructed the contractor go in and do the work, let us know if there are any more problems

Boomtown_Hamilton · #32 Posted **Jul 8, 2008, 6:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by FairHamilton

My email to the City bylaw department

Hi Judy and Frances,

I'm sending this note to thank-you for your attention to my complaint regarding 22 Fairholt Road South.

I see at the end of last week, the unsecured areas of the house (roof, window, garage) were all sealed with sheets of plywood. Based on the professional quality of the work, I'm assuming it was either completed by the City, or completed under the City's supervision.

Thank-you for your help on this matter, and I wanted to let you know your help is very much appreciated by myself, and other neighbours on Fairholt Road South.

Judy's response

THANKYOU, and yes we instructed the contractor go in and do the work, let us know if there are any more problems

Great work by councillor Morelli. I'm glad that he was able to assist you here with this.

matt602 · #33 Posted **Jul 8, 2008, 8:06 PM**

And a saga comes to a close.

Good stuff.

FairHamilton · #34 Posted **Jul 8, 2008, 8:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt602

And a saga comes to a close.

Good stuff.

LOL, not even close to a close. That's just the first step on a journey that I feel will have 1,000 miles............ The house is still sitting there rotting, and there are more bylaw violations.

If the owners are going to let this happen it's my goal to punish them financially by having the city add all kinds of work to their tax bill.

So far since June 1st.
1. Clearing of debris and cutting of vegetation (weeds).
2. Securing the house with about 8 or 9 sheets of plywood

I've got a few more bylaw violations coming down the pike, and Judy did say: "let us know if there are any more problems."

raisethehammer · #35 Posted **Jul 9, 2008, 2:08 AM**

I guess I should chime in here.
I've been in touch with McHattie's office about a 'mostly' vacant house on our street.
the owner comes by for about an hour or two each month.
no lawn cutting, no snow shoveling etc....
the weeds are 5 feet tall now.
I'll let you know what happens. It's a unique case because the home is owned, and sometimes he shows up (usually in the middle of the night for half an hour or so). it's not entirely vacant.
Although, exterior windows haven't been closed in years. the living room light has been on for 3 years.
many rooms are unfinished.
The neighbourhood cats love the place.

I'll keep you posted.

flar · #36 Posted **Jul 9, 2008, 2:10 AM**

^^grow house?

FairHamilton · #37 Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 2:06 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

I guess I should chime in here.
I've been in touch with McHattie's office about a 'mostly' vacant house on our street.
the owner comes by for about an hour or two each month.
no lawn cutting, no snow shoveling etc....
the weeds are 5 feet tall now.
I'll let you know what happens. It's a unique case because the home is owned, and sometimes he shows up (usually in the middle of the night for half an hour or so). it's not entirely vacant.
Although, exterior windows haven't been closed in years. the living room light has been on for 3 years.
many rooms are unfinished.
The neighbourhood cats love the place.

I'll keep you posted.

Vacant, or not 8" is the bylaw height for lawn vegetation, grass or weeds. I'd start there with bylaw. They'll post a notice with a 5 day deadline, and my suggestion is on the morning of the 6th day call the bylaw officer and inform them the lawn is uncut. They should come to cut it on day 7 and put the charge on the property tax bill.

raisethehammer · #38 Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 2:43 AM**

yea, I told them about the 5 foot tall grass.
I should look on the front door. Getting past all the boxes and junk on the porch will be a task.

Duckyboy · #39 Posted **Aug 25, 2008, 1:50 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by flar

I wonder who owns this old house on Wentworth? It could be really nice:

Ahhh... 89 Wentowrth...

That was one of the first house's we saw on our first trip here from out West, and it blew us away.

If you Goggle Earth it, it shows that there is almost no yard (used up by its surrounding apartment buildings), but what a jem.

I drive past it everyday and can just imagine the inside and what it could be.

Before we bought our current mammoth project, we debated getting in touch with the owner to see if he would sell it. But in the end, we decided that street is too busy for our current and future kids.

Hopefully someone else has a good plan for it.

raisethehammer · #40 Posted **Aug 25, 2008, 1:55 AM**

well, this weed/grass bylaw stuff is slow as heck..the city came by and posted a notice and came back on the deadline 5 days later. He was out there working away that morning as we expected.
I'm not sure if they gave him a deadline, but he's slowly working away at it...probably has half the property done now, but it's been 3 weeks. Hopefully he'll get the rest done this week.
At least it's being fixed and that's the main thing.

yea, that house on Wentworth is awesome....the lack of a yard is probably a stumbling block for a family. The huge house on Main East near Prospect was bought by a family, but it has a huge yard despite being on Main East.
I could see condos/apartments in this Wentworth House.