Clean-ups target RVs
The county zoning administrator has a job on his hands as more and more complaints come in from residents concerning people living in recreational vehicles (Rvs).
Zoning regulations allow a person to live in an RV for six months while their homes are under construction, according to David Johnson, zoning administrator.
A handful of such complaints were brought before the board of supervisors for approval of clean-up orders at the Dec. 2 meeting of the board of supervisors.
Johnson turned in two new clean-up requests. One was for an address on W. Grambling Road where a person is living in an RV.
A lady living in a house has a helper living in one of her Rvs. Neighbors living around the lady are complaining because they have nice homes, Johnson said.
The board approved zoning to proceed with the clean-up order.
A second location in a subdivision on Young Road has an abandoned house.
Johnson said someone may be living in a storage building. Windows are broken out and need to be boarded up, the lot cleaned up and tall grass cut.
The board approved issuing a clean-up order for that lot.
A public hearing was conducted by board attorney Amanda Whaley Smith to consider seven clean-ups: • there was an issue on W 1st Street in District 2 where there was an RV and engines and trash. The owner said her son was building a shed but did not have a permit. Several motors had been put out on the curb. The owner wants to cooperate but her son doesn’t. The board ordered a clean-up of the motors and removal of an RV located in front of the house.
District 1 supervisor Charles Terry said he is concerned about the county having to find a way to deal with people living in Rvs .
“When we start moving them, we run into that problem,” he said. “How do you want to handle it?” A neighbor said someone was living in a camper on W 1st Street and was trying to build a house behind it.
“Living in it illegally,” said Terry.
The board passed a motion to issue a clean-up order and a motion to allow Johnson to proceed to Justice Court regarding the ordinance violation.
The owner of the property then appeared suddenly in the board room and said she is waiting for her check to arrive so she can move the RV off her property along with a white truck.
Supervisors rescinded the two prior motions to allow her two weeks to get the vehicles removed.
• the owner of four lots located in Crenshaw Trailer Park on West 1st Street was confronted about operating Rvs on his lots off of extension chords and without sewage service. A homeless person was living in one of the Rvs, the owner said.
“We can’t have that, Sir,” said District 2 supervisor Johnny Walker.
Terry told the owner the problem is not as much about the cleanup as about someone living in an RV.
The owner said he had one FEMA trailer and one RV that has a homeless person living in it.
“You got to get it cleaned up,” Walker said. “Running an extension chord is dangerous.” “Where’s the sewer going?” asked Johnson.
“Going to the ditches,” Walker said. “It was going to a lagoon before the lagoon failed.
Board attorney Amanda Whaley Smith read the ordinance aloud.
Walker said the eviction would have to be done legally. “When I went down that street, I thought I was in a third world country,” Walker said.
The board gave the owner until the Dec. 16 meeting to correct the situation.
• ordered a clean-up of tall grass on a vacant lot on Skating Rink Road.
• continued a clean-up of property at 177 Skating Rink Road. The owners had died and no one could be contacted regarding the property.
• ordered a cleanup of a property on 219 Dowdy Road. An abandoned house needed windows boarded up and the grass cut.
• continued a clean-up on 349 South. An abandoned vehicle is up on blocks and a Jeep is there without tires. The new owner is trying to get the lot cleaned up. The clean-up was continued to Dec. 16.
• learned a lot at 200 Porter Drive that had tall grass and limbs has been cleaned up. No action is needed.
District 4 supervisor George Zinn III asked Johnson to investigate a complaint of shooting at 1550 St. Paul Road.
“You have to have at least five acres to fire a gun,” Johnson said.
“If a person is shooting over (a house), I don’t think it is legal,” Zinn said.