Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Code Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident urges condemnation of derelict Ortega Lane house; Select Board plans boarding and no-trespassing signs
Summary
A Surry resident told the Select Board that the vacant house at 16 Ortega Lane is in severe disrepair and, he alleged, has been used for illicit drug manufacturing; the board said Code Enforcement Officer Bill Booth will board up the property, post no-trespassing signs and ask HCSO to perform occasional checks.
During the public-comment period of the Select Board meeting on May 7, resident Nicholas Smith described the condition of the vacant house at 16 Ortega Lane and asked the town to condemn the property.
Nicholas Smith, who said he lives at 799 Surry Road next to Ortega Lane, reported that the home has no electricity or running water, broken windows and doors torn from frames and scattered garbage. He said he and a neighbor, Marianne Santoro, had their attorney submit a motion to condemn the property and that they would provide supporting documents to town staff.
Mary, chair of the Select Board, told Smith she had spoken with Code Enforcement Officer Bill Booth. According to Mary, Booth cannot condemn the property but will board up the house, affix no-trespassing signs and request that Hancock County Sheriff's Office perform occasional property checks.
The transcript records Smith’s allegation that the property has been used for illicit drug manufacturing based on conversations with law enforcement and neighbors; no investigative findings or law-enforcement confirmations appear in the meeting record. The board accepted Smith’s request to add related documents to the meeting record and directed staff follow-up.
