Westover property declared a public nuisance

Published 12:58 pm Monday, January 23, 2017

WESTOVER – A dilapidated property off Shelby County 101 in Westover has been declared a public nuisance and will have to be remediated within 35 days.

Westover Mayor Larry Riggins said the Town Council made the declaration at its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 17, after residents in the area contacted town officials about the problem.

The owners of the property, none of which live at the site, were present at the meeting and indicated their willingness to clean it up, Riggins said.

“It’s been in bad shape a long time,” Riggins said. “They’ll have to remove the structure and the junk that has accumulated—old furniture, trash, garbage bags, propane tanks. It appears that it will be a good outcome.”

Riggins said officials performed a title search on the property and then contacted the owners.

If remedial steps are not taken within the given time frame, the council could decide for the town to perform the work and then place a lien on the property, Riggins said.

Roger and Barbara McCullers and Mamie Lunsford live off Shelby County 101 and contacted town officials about the property.

Barbara McCullers said a relative of the property owners lived at the property as recently as November 2016, though utilities have not been available there for several years.

Neighbors talked with the resident about the condition of the property and even offered to help clean up, McCullers said.

“Everybody on the street has tried to help them—not just us,” McCullers said. “We’re left with it, and it’s not fair.”

The lady who used to live in the house kept the lot nice and tended flowers, McCullers said.

A fire burned part of the structure at some point, and the property has been left in a state of neglect.

The McCullers had visitors for Christmas who drove by and commented on the derelict property.

“It’s embarrassing,” Lunsford said.

The McCullers said they were pleased with how town officials handled the situation, and that the property owners attended the council meeting and apologized.

“We appreciate that very much,” McCullers said.