TOP STORY, NOV.: Lakewood Eyesore Demolished

In preparation for the New Year the Observer is taking the holiday week to reflect on the big stories of the year. We are counting down the top 12 stories of 2011 for all Observers. Check back each day for a reprinting — and any relevant updates — of the biggest news items of the year. Updates at bottom.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED NOV. 24, 2011

LAKEWOOD RANCH — An uncommon sound filled the streets of the Greenbrook Haven community Nov. 21, as a home on Macaw Glen came crashing down.

More than three years after the two-story house at 6216 Macaw Glen burned to the ground, posing a health and safety issue for neighbors, Manatee County had the property demolished.

Contractor Forristall Enterprises arrived on site around 9 a.m., and soon began preparing for work. Once equipment was mobilized, the actual demolition took about two hours, as heavy machinery literally pushed the home into itself until no walls were left standing.

The company then began work to clear the property of debris.

ANATOMY OF A DEMOLITION
For a structure such as the home on Macaw Glen, Manatee County first must go through a process of deeming a property unsafe and notifying property owners of pending demolition.

In its final step, the county places a sign on the property to notify the owner, neighbors and general public about the upcoming demolition and to give them an opportunity to protest it, said C.J. Depre, a Manatee County building official.

After the required 30-day notification period has passed, a contractor can come in to complete demolition work.

Mary Forristall, president of Forristall Enterprises, said her company began preparing for the demolition shortly after being selected by the county to complete the work.

“We have to start notifying all of the utilities,” Forristall said. “They have to go in and disable them so there’s no live wires on site.

“We pull all of our own permits and handle all of the locates and disconnects,” she said.

With a demolition permit in hand and utilities capped, Forristall then can begin the actual structure demolition.

The company hauls in an excavator on a wide, open flatbed trailer, moves it to the property and begins work.

“We’ll start on one of the corners and tear it down, pulling everything into a neat pile,” Forristall said.

Once the structure has been leveled, the company then begins hauling off debris.

Forristall said a typical 2,000-square-foot home yields about 15 truckloads of debris — about 255 tons of concrete, wood and other materials.

NOTICE REQUIRED
Manatee County’s Unsafe Structures ordinance delineates what structures qualify for demolition, as well as the processes that must be followed before a demolition can occur.

Once a building inspector has deemed a structure as appropriate for demolition, the building official must prepare and issue a written notice to the owner of record. The notice must contain information such as the legal description of the property, a statement indicating the structure has been declared unsafe and a report documenting deficiencies that need to be addressed by a specified date.

If the building is to be demolished, the notice must require the premises be vacated, all permits for demolition be secured and that the demolition be determined by a certain time, as determined by the building inspector.

The ordinance requires notification be sent to the property owner of record by mail. If rendered undeliverable, the notice is sent by certified mail. If the certified mail is returned, then the county must place a notice in the newspaper two times, seven days apart.

A notice will be posted on the property, as well, to further ensure the property owner has an opportunity to respond.

UNDER INVESTIGATION
The cause of the fire at the Macaw Glen property remains under investigation, although a detective from the State Fire Marshall’s Office is slated to give a deposition on the case on Jan. 9.

Court records show the company that insured the property at the time of the fire, First Community Insurance Co., alleged the owners, Sam and Chrissie Budd, participated either directly or indirectly in the events that caused the fire on Sept. 11, 2008.

The Budds sued First Community after the fire for breach of contract because First Community refused to provide coverage.

Records show the’ property has been in foreclosure since 2006.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].