Upper Township committee approves demolition of mold‑infested house at 390 Woodbine Road and authorizes municipal lien

The Upper Township Committee voted July 10 to authorize demolition of an unsafe structure at 390 Woodbine Road and to place a municipal lien to recoup township costs after officials said the house is unfit for occupancy.

The committee approved a resolution at the end of a lengthy hearing in which the township’s construction official, Dory, described repeated inspections and a professional report alleging extensive mold contamination. Dory said the building has been the subject of agency review since October 2025 and that professionals found interior conditions that make the building unsafe to occupy.

"He said the penicillium aspergillus count is over 250,000," Dory said, summarizing an inspector's laboratory results, and adding that the volume and spread of mold indicated the studs and framing were likely compromised. The building inspector told the committee the owner had been given six months to remediate and that the construction official followed state statute and township ordinance in ordering demolition when remediation did not occur.

The property owner, identified in the record as Mr. Boker, disputed parts of the account and said he had begun some work, but he did not present a written remediation plan to the construction office or active building permits. "I've removed the valve," the owner said, and acknowledged some interior items had been taken out, but officials said the debris remained on the property and that no inspections or required permits had been filed.

Township legal counsel told the committee the owner had been notified, afforded hearings and an opportunity to remediate, and that the construction official's order followed the procedures outlined under state statute and local ordinance. "There was a complaint filed and served upon the property owner," the township attorney said, and said the owner was provided six months to remediate; when that did not happen, the construction official ordered demolition and recommended a municipal lien for costs.

Committee members emphasized that demolition authority rests with the construction official but that the resolution provides a mechanism for the township to recover costs. The committee adopted the resolution on a roll‑call vote; the clerk recorded affirmative votes and the clerk announced "motion carried." The resolution authorizes the building inspector to proceed with demolition and directs the clerk’s office to place a municipal lien for the demolition expense.

The committee did not set a public timetable for the actual demolition in open session; officials said utilities would be disconnected and that the trailers on the property would no longer be permitted to be powered once the demolition process begins. The construction official and legal counsel said the demolition is an enforcement action taken as a last resort after repeated opportunities for remediation.

The committee’s action concludes the local enforcement step; the township said it will pursue recovery of direct costs through a municipal lien recorded against the property. The committee did not discuss a specific dollar amount for the anticipated demolition costs in the open session minutes.

The committee adjourned after completing remaining agenda items.