Owner of nuisance property granted one more extension by city council

The Red Oak City Council has agreed to an extension for a property clean-up. 

At the Nov. 15 meeting of the Red Oak City Council, the council met with Floyd Smith, a resident of N. 4th Street. Smith was notified on Sept. 24, 2019, that the property had an accumulation of items, defined by city code, scattered throughout the yard of the residence, including, but not limited to debris, trash, broken glass, discarded furniture, and/or machinery parts. 

Smith said some of the lack of progress in his property clean up was due to the weather. 

“Last winter was a bear, and I don’t stand the cold very well. After we progressed to summer, I would work for about 20 minutes in the heat and I was done. Now that it has cooled off some, I’ve been able to get out and work more, but the earlier weather patterns have definitely taken a toll on the work I wanted to get done, and I’d like to request some more time,” Smith said. 

Smith added that most of his local family members that can assist him work during the day, leaving him to do much of the work alone. City administrator Brad Wright clarified that Smith had spoken with the nuisance control officer and was clear on what improvements needed to be done, and Smith said he had. 

“We don’t want to get you down and winded, and we understand there have been some tough weather patterns. We just want to see some improvements,” commented Wright. 

Smith had been previously given a 90-day extension by nuisance control officer Bill Dieterling, beginning Nov. 17, 2020. Deiterling, who was present at the meeting, expressed a willingness to assist Smith in the process, and said he was willing to work with anyone who would work with him. 

 Wright asked if the council granted Smith a 30-day extension, if he felt he could get enough items moved to make a significant impact, and Smith felt he could. 

“With 30 days, I can get the driveway cleaned out, weather permitting. I’m not sure how much progress I can make in the back yard,” said Smith. 

Dieterling commented that he felt that if the driveway were cleaned out, it would show significant progress in his eyes. Councilperson Jeanice Lester was in favor of the 30-day extension, but said she wanted an end date set for the entire clean-up project. 

Wright was also in favor of granting the 30-day extension, and said the council could then re-evaluate the progress made. The council approved a 30-day extension, beginning Nov. 15. 

Also discussed was a standard professional services agreement with Snyder & Associates, Inc., for the Eastern Avenue reconstruction project in 2022. 

“This is for a project that we will be using DOT funds for. This does include Summit to Forest, and includes replacement of the water main. It made sense for us to do both projects at once so we don’t have to tear up the new street right away,” Wright said. 

The council approved the agreement. 

In other business, the council:

• Approved pay request number two to Omni Engineering for the 2021 street asphalt project, in the amount of $131,776. 

• Approved hangar lease agreements, per the airport commission’s recommendation, for: Red Oak Centurion, LLC; Jerry McDonald; Nick Hildreth; Kevin McGrew; Chad Hill; Tim Saddler; and Joe Vinton.