The owner of a dilapidated garage in Hamlet has been hit with a $5,000 fine, after failing to repair it or tear it down. Town officials say the garage on Railroad Street near the former bank building is unsafe, with a partially-collapsed roof.
Zoning Board President Dave Kesvormas recommended imposing the fine before the town hires a demolition contractor. “So it’ll be a $5,000 fine today,” Kesvormas said during this month’s zoning board meeting. “I don’t want to clean it up. I don’t want to pay somebody to clean it up and just barely get my money back, and then we sit here for a year-and-a-half while we mess with it. Put the $5,000 on it, and then we’ll go from there.”
While Board Member Brian Earnest hoped the fine would get the owner’s attention, he noted that at some point, someone will still have to tear the garage down. Town officials say they can place a lien on the property, if the owner fails to pay.
