SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — A building gutted by a January blaze was under fire, again, at a November Summerside city council meeting.
The building, an Island Waste Management contractor’s building on Pope Road, burned on Jan. 3. The interior of the structure was gutted, and two garbage trucks were seriously damaged.
Since then, area residents have been unhappy with the lack of clean up to the facility.
“That building has been an eyesore for years and, ever since the fire, it’s become a complete and absolute disgrace,” said Ray Howatt, who lives across the road from the burned-out location.
“If you look at the yard, it’s full of derelict vehicles that were in the fire. There’s rubble all over the yard.”
Not only is the property unsightly, Howatt said when the wind is from the south, loose debris flies onto his property from the facility.
Howatt has seen people working at the building since the fire and questions why the provincial government hasn’t stepped in to put a stop to the unsafe work.
Summerside city councillor Justin Doiron gave a status update on the situation.
On Aug. 29, the city issued a building permit for fire restoration.
“At the time, the owner intended to remove the damaged roof on the east side of the building and replace it with a roof that pretty much matched that of the main garage,” said Doiron.
But the work was never completed.
Provincial Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) officials “had concerns” and halted the work until the owner addressed the issues, said Doiron.
An official notice was sent to the owner by email on Oct. 11 regarding the unsightly conditions, said Doiron.
The notice asked the building owner to address the unsightliness and to start on or before Nov. 8, and for the work to be completed by Dec. 31.
On Nov. 6, Doiron said the city building inspectors visited the site and found contractors pressure washing soot and ash from the building.
On Nov. 14, the owner said he was working on repairs to windows and doors. The OSH restriction had been lifted so the work can continue.
Howatt is skeptical the work will be completed by the end of the year, given the slow progress so far.
“It’s over 10 months or more and if they’ve been in there with pressure washers and washed the inside, that’s not a heck of a lot of work on that property that’s been done since then,” said Howatt. “If I had my property like that, the city wouldn’t take too long coming in and clearing it up.”
Coun. Cory Snow noted there is a proper complaints procedure.
“We have a business owner who, I totally agree, has left the property in a very sad state, but he’s not here to speak to it. I just think we’ve got to be careful when we open up this can of worms to just let people come in and speak because it’s not the proper way to do it,” said Snow.
He’d like to see concerned citizens in the future go through the appropriate committees.
This issue was also raised at council's December Technical Services Comittee meeting. Staff informed council that the cleanup and renovations to the building are progressing and they are continuing to monitor the situation.
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