Duncan board moves forward on abatement at 804 10th Street; schedules volunteer cleanup June 20

The Village of Duncan Board of Trustees on May 11 authorized steps to abate nuisance conditions at 804 10th Street after the property owner did not request a hearing following certified notice.

Chairperson Gary Schlesinger said certified letters had been received and the five-day waiting period expired with no response, clearing the way for abatement. He reported that a tree-service contractor provided a quote of $20,000 to $25,000 for the first phase of cleanup, which would remove two very large trees, stumps and much of the volunteer vegetation; Schlesinger said the quoted work would not clean the entire property and represented only the initial phase.

Board members discussed whether the Village should fund a contractor and accept a lien on the property, which would attach to the deed and be repaid if the property is later sold. Trustee Lance Denbo said the abatement is not an investment for monetary gain and proposed organizing a community volunteer cleanup to address the issue without immediate expenditure. Clerk Marianna Evans said past boards had relied on volunteer help but that neighborhood volunteers were reluctant to accept ongoing maintenance responsibility.

The board approved a motion to create and advertise a volunteer cleanup event for June 20, with Denbo listed as the contact for the effort. The motion carried with all present voting aye.

Schlesinger said he preferred not to delay beyond June because the property has been neglected for an extended period. The board did not authorize the $20,000–$25,000 contractor work at the May 11 meeting; it recorded the quote as the current estimate and left the contractor option available as a formal abatement path if volunteer efforts and other options do not resolve the issue.