Putnam County grants 90‑day extensions in two dilapidated‑property cases amid notification and family‑ownership disputes

Putnam County commissioners on Jan. 28 conducted public hearings on two property‑maintenance ("day of") cases tied to properties on North Poplar Fork Road in Hurricane and gave the landowner additional time to begin compliance work while county staff verifies notification and ownership documents.

The first public hearing concerned Case 2024‑08 at 1059 North Poplar Fork Road, which the county said showed "no visible progress" toward compliance with a complaint recommending demolition of dilapidated structures, removal of trash and ongoing vegetation maintenance. Landowner Timothy A. Carroll told commissioners the property is co‑owned by his sister, that he has started asbestos testing and abatement and that he has engaged a contractor who offered to demolish structures, but that the contractor is busy and full‑time demolition estimates he received would be expensive.

"I want to keep it in the family," Carroll told the commission when asked about his long‑term plans for the property. Carroll said the family has deep roots in Putnam County and said he and relatives are trying to assemble funds and equipment to complete the cleanup. Several neighbors and a former mayor who has previously helped clear debris described the site as heavily cluttered and said conditions predated recent months.

County Attorney Larry Jordan said the record includes a partition agreement and a limited power of attorney that give Carroll authority to handle day‑of matters for the property and that the sister named in the record had been sent certified notice and a receipt was on file. "She was sent certified notice of the day‑of case prior to this and signed, and we did receive receipt for that," Jordan said on the record, while also noting staff would re‑review the file to ensure all required notifications were correctly served.

Given the time of year and Carroll’s representations, a commissioner moved to keep Case 2024‑08 before the commission and to give Carroll 90 days to show significant progress; commissioners approved the extension by voice vote and asked Carroll to communicate cleanup steps to county staff electronically so progress could be tracked.

A second case, Case 2024‑07 at 2042 North Poplar Fork Road (listed as Carroll’s wife’s property), was taken off the table and commissioners likewise approved an additional 90‑day period for cleanup efforts, with the same expectation of measurable progress. Carroll said the creek crossing on that property is currently washed out and that some temporary crossing work may be needed before full removal and remediation can proceed.

Commissioners noted that the county maintains a $100,000 line for cleanup of dilapidated properties and that, historically, the county has used contractors to perform work and place a lien on the property to recover costs if owners cannot complete the cleanup. Commissioners emphasized they prefer cooperative cleanup with the landowner where feasible and urged Carroll to work with county staff and family members to begin removal work when weather permits.

The commission asked staff to verify notification records and the limited power of attorney; staff agreed to review the file and report back. The extension motions required no immediate county expenditure; any county‑led cleanup and associated lien would be a separate, later action if Carroll fails to show progress within the allotted period.