Aug. 17, 2003 – The multi-agency task force that has been tagging and towing abandoned vehicles all over the island in recent months will take its mission to the next level this week — razing abandoned buildings in the Garden Street and Savan areas.
According to a Government House release, the governor's Abandoned Vehicle and Beautification Task Force "will begin the demolition of abandoned houses" for which approval has been secured from the appropriate government agencies.
The action will follow on further steps taken last week to address the derelict vehicle situation. The task force chair, James O'Bryan Jr., St. Thomas-Water Island administrator, said follow-up inspections were carried out in Bovoni, Coki Point, Hospital Ground, Mariendahl, Nadir Hill and Turpentine Run. "Thousands of dollars in fines and citations were issued, and an illegal car repair operation was cited and shut down," the release stated.
O'Bryan said that in some instances, property owners had taken steps to address "areas of concern that were brought to their attention during a previous inspection." However, he said, "in instances where no corrective action was taken or orders for compliance were ignored," task force agencies "issued fines and citations requiring the property owners to appear in court to answer complaints."
Meanwhile, over the weekend, the task force was to begin removing nearly 40 abandoned vehicles that had earlier been tagged in the Bovoni-Thomasville area, the release said.
O'Bryan also said that the task force "reached an agreement with the property owners along Brookman Road to commence removing debris in the vicinity of the old Lantern Bar."
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