St. Bernard adds more buildings to raze list

Citing safety and health concerns, the St. Bernard Parish Council Thursday condemned another 3,049 properties on the list of blighted homes and businesses it established earlier this summer.

The council's action Thursday, taken during a special emergency meeting, follows its condemnation Tuesday of another 602 properties for demolition, bringing the total to 3,651.

Owners have 10 days to appeal if they don't want their structures torn down, even though demolitions may not begin as soon as the deadline passes, officials said.

Officials said they don't believe any of the structures have complied with the parish's gutting deadline, which was Aug. 29. The Parish Council set that deadline, the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, for structures to be gutted, cleaned and secured.

The 10-day notification period will begin once the properties are posted with stickers alerting owners of demolition notices. The parish is using seven avenues to notify owners of condemned properties, including posting the list in the lobby of the government complex, the courthouse, on the parish Web site, www.sbpg.net, publishing the list in the official parish journal and through the mail. The list of properties is also available on The Times-Picayune's affiliated Web site, www.nola.com

Six of the seven council members met Thursday for a committee meeting to discuss the specifics of how to carry out the notification and appeal process on the first 602 structures condemned. Once that matter was settled, Councilman Craig Taffaro called for the emergency meeting and asked the council to immediately condemn all the structures on the blighted list that has been published since early summer.

At one time the list numbered more than 4,000, but some owners have promised to begin work and had their properties removed from the list.

Those still on the list represent addresses where owners have neither told the parish they intend to gut and maintain the property, nor signed up for the parish's voluntary demolition program.

The council approved the condemnations 5-1, with Taffaro and council members Mark Madary, Judy Hoffmeister, Tony "Ricky" Melerine and Joey DiFatta voting for it. Councilman Lynn Dean opposed, and Councilman Kenny Henderson was absent.

The measure the council adopted allows property owners to initiate an appeals process with the Office of Community Development and sign a binding agreement to clean and secure their property within seven days in order to be removed from the condemned list. Taffaro said pending or completed changes of ownership won't result in waivers or delays.

For appeals initiated after the 10-day notice, the owner could be subject to the cost incurred for any demolition or pre-demolition work, the measure said.

Dean said that wasn't fair.

"I disagree with that," Dean said. "The man has his back against the wall and you are going to charge him?"

But Taffaro said FEMA won't reimburse the parish for preliminary demolition testing and inspection costs if the house is torn down. "It's either they pay it or we pay it," he said.

Councilman Tony "Ricky" Melerine agreed with Taffaro.

"Just cleaned, Mr. Dean," Melerine said. "We just want the properties cleaned."

Officials are hurrying to get demolitions handled quickly because FEMA has agreed to cover demolition costs up to Dec. 31.

After Dec. 31, parish officials said property owners would be faced with paying 10 percent of the cost of forced demolitions. Unpaid bills would result in liens on properties. Parish officials also plan to begin spraying defoliant on properties with high grass and charging those homeowners $300 to cover the costs.

The parish's demolition and debris contractor has knocked down almost 1,900 homes whose owners voluntarily put them on the demolition list.

To sign up for the demolition program, homeowners can visit the Office of Community Development on the second floor of the government complex on Judge Perez Drive in Chalmette or download forms from the parish Web site, www.sbpg.net. The forms can be brought to the office or mailed to the St. Bernard Office of Community Development, 8201 W. Judge Perez Drive, Chalmette, LA 70043. On the envelope, owners should note "Office of Demolition" for demolitions or "Hazard Removal" for house gutting. The phone number is (504) 278-4310.

To report blighted property or to appeal a forced condemnation, visit Trailer K5 at the government complex or call (504) 278-4301 or (504) 278-4302 or (504) 278-4307.

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