Friday, February 7, 2003

Fairburn to sue owner of demolished building

By ALISA KING
Special to the Citizen

Fairburn officials appear headed to court over the demolition of a structure at 157 Orchard Street of Fairburn.

City officials performed an inspection on the structure last year. The city told the owner the building was unsafe June 20.

The notice required the owner to obtain the necessary permits for demolition within 30 days of receipt of the notice, and to complete said demolition within sixty days.

In addition, the notice afforded the owner the right to appeal the determination by the City that the structure was unsafe. The owner did not appeal that determination, nor did he obtain the necessary permits to begin work.

In August, a notice of demolition was issued by the city. As a result, the city demolished the structure, which totaled $25,000. The city filed a lien against the property late last week.

City Attorney Brad Sears said the next action taken will be to recover the amount owed to the city. Sears recommended the city file a lawsuit against the owner to recover the sum. Once the judgment is obtained against the owner, the city can then foreclose on its lien and either become the owner of the property, or sell it.