| St. Tammany Parish Demolition Update |
| Tuesday, 19 September 2006 | |
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A recent report provides an update on the demolition process in St. Tammany Parish. 570 homes are at risk of being
condemned St. Tammany Parish officials have
identified 570 storm-damaged houses in unincorporated areas that
need to be demolished or repaired, and they are moving to condemn
the structures if their owners cannot be found, Parish President
Kevin Davis said Monday.
As part of a neighborhood restoration initiative, the parish has begun legal proceedings to condemn 67 of the houses, Davis said, and will take similar steps against the remaining 503 structures, but only after a concerted effort to locate the owners and assist them, if possible, to rebuild. "We want to do tear-downs as a last resort," Davis said. It has been more than a year since Katrina, and the owners of the 570 houses apparently have taken no steps to repair, rebuild or demolish their properties, he said. The blighted properties, in the middle of areas that have been rebuilt since Katrina, are holding back neighborhoods from fully recovering from the storm, Davis said. The damaged houses mostly are in southeastern St. Tammany and are scattered throughout the Slidell, Pearl River and Lacombe areas, he said. Their owners have apparently left the area and haven't been found by parish officials, he said. "We fear that some owners will never come back," Davis said. The parish is trying to locate the owners and find out their plans for the blighted structures, Davis said. The parish president said he plans to enlist the help of homeowners groups and neighbors to track down the property owners. If the homeowners can't be found, attorneys will begin condemnation proceedings in parish code court to demolish the structures, he said. The 570 houses could be listed on the parish government Web site, www.stpgov.org, by next week if parish legal advisers give the green light. In the meantime, St. Tammany officials are offering help to those property owners to get assistance through state or federal recovery programs to rebuild or clean up their properties, Davis said. Those who need help can call (985) 898-3080 or contact parish officials via e-mail at propertyhelp@stpgov.org. One FEMA program pays for the costs of demolishing structures on private property if they pose a public safety or health threat. More than 600 property owners in the unincorporated areas of the parish have applied to have their homes demolished through the program, a parish consultant said. Davis said the owners of the 570 houses could also be eligible for the program. To view the online article, please click here |
