[StBernard] Forced demolitions begin in St. Bernard Parish

[Westley Annis]

Forced demolitions begin in St. Bernard Parish
11/8/2006, 9:41 p.m. CT
The Associated Press    

CHALMETTE, La. (AP) - Forced demolitions have started in St. Bernard Parish
on a list of about 1,200 condemned buildings whose owners haven't cleaned,
gutted or secured them despite notice from parish government.

"We have started taking some down," Dave Peralta, chief administrative
officer for parish government, said Wednesday.

Also, a new batch of 394 homes and commercial properties that were found not
to have been gutted were condemned by the Parish Council on Nov. 7. Peralta
said there will be a parishwide sweep to determine if other commercial and
residential buildings that haven't been gutted were missed.

Owners will have 10 days to appeal - in person - if they don't want their
structures torn down. To get off the condemnation list an owner must agree
to clean, gut and secure the structure, as well as cut grass, within seven
calendar days.

Parish officials acknowledge that mistakes in addresses may have been made
and assured residents that all properties will be doublechecked and if they
have been cleaned and secured the addresses will be taken off the list and
won't be razed.

The parish has used several means to notify owners of condemned properties,
including posting the list of addresses at the parish courthouse and in the
lobby of the government complex, on the parish website at
http://www.sbpg.net, through the mail and in the parish's official journal,
The St. Bernard Voice weekly newspaper.

Owners who don't respond risk having to pay 10 percent of demolition costs
if the home or business isn't torn down before Dec. 31 when FEMA is
scheduled to stop giving 100 percent reimbursement to the parish for the
service.