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The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday October 10, 2001 - A3 A b a n d o n e d h o u s e c o n c e rn s n e ig h b o u rs Residence site of teen parties, vandalism and is fire threat Town stym ied on how to rectify situation where owner o f large home in north Oakville is paying taxes but won Y live in house By A ngela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Most people would give their eye teeth for a large home in a new north Oakville subdivision -- but one such home is ju st being ignored by its owner. And th a t's exactly why the Oakville Fire D epartm ent, H alton Regional Police, and the Town of Oakville can't ignore the Glen Abbey property. The owner w on't keep up what some would consider to be a dream home, so local authorities have been forced to step in. Oakville firefighters boarded up most of the house's lower floor w in dows last Wednesday. The double garage also sports a board in addition to its peeling paint and a coach light that was long ago smashed. That w on't likely satisfy the par ents o f youths, who party or crash in the home -- or make the neighbours, whose own hom es are in pristine order, feel safe. This isn't an old house left to ruin, but a large house in a relatively new subdivision. Its owner chooses to live in a less affluent area o f town. Oakville Deputy Fire C hief John deHooge said, "It's not the first, and it's not the only, house like this around." "It's pretty regular, actually," said Acting Chief Fire Prevention Officer Will Crognale. The fire departm ent doesn't want to spotlight the house to draw vandal ism because as deHooge said, "We already have enough." Nor does the fire departm ent want anyone to go into the house and get injured, say fall through a floor, or start a fire. DeHooge said that the problem with a fire at an abandoned house is that, "We're never sure if som ebody's ' in it." And a fire could be raging before it's noticed, leading to greater danger, or "exposure," to nearby homes, as well as to firefighters fighting the blaze. Halton police are aware of the house and perform regular patrols, said deHooge. "The fire department goes by on a daily basis to do a drive by and a walk around," said deHooge. Last week, the house owner was charged for a second time this year under the Ontario Fire Code. B oth charges were laid under Article 2.4.7.1 which states "a vacant building shall be secured against unauthorized entry." The fire department has found the house unsecured on March 16, April 23, May 26 and on June 14 -- when the first charge was laid. The house owner is required to answ er to the charges in Provincial Offences court on Nov. 13. The charge carries a range o f penalties from remediation to fine, how ever Crognale said the fine is "rarely" hefty. "N orm ally the hom eow ner has responsibility. The hom eowner has chosen not to be responsible and rather than argue or leave it open to danger, we take it upon ourselves to make sure it's safe," said deHooge. C rognale said the O ntario Fire Code is primarily written to protect life, so as long as the house is vacant, there's not a lot that can be done. The hom eow ner lives with his par ents in the south end of town and appears not to want the house, or at least to live in it, said W ard 4 C ouncillor Jody Sanderson, who described the situation as "nightm ar ish." The Town has been keeping records on this property since 1998, said M anager of By-Law Enforcem ent M oira Fogarty. "The ow ner is not in residence and as long as the taxes are not in arrears, there's very little the Town can do," said Fogarty. The Town is pursuing the home ow ner under the Tow n's Property Standards By-Law "to keep the prop erty looking as neat and tidy as possi ble," said Fogarty. T hat avenue, how ever, entails Photos by Riziero Vertolli This large home in the Glen Abbey area has been abandoned by its owner and has been the scene of break-ins and parties. Some of the remnants of these events can be seen in photo to the right, serving notice on the property owner, outwaiting an appeal period and then either having the property owner do the work or having the Town do the work and adding it to the homeown e r's tax bill. Fogarty said the Town has tried to work with the property owner in the past, but not always successfully. There were reports of him walking, with a lawnmower, a fair distance across town to mow the weeds and then leave the house to fall into disre pair again, said Sanderson. Scrub grass and an overgrow n front walk appear neat compared to the waist-high grass and weeds in the backyard. "It's become a haven for kids to break into." said Sanderson. Inside the house, chairs and tables are scattered sparsely about, brim ming over with a flashlights, empty pop bottles and other debris. Rags and rolls of toilet paper are strewn about the floor while the walls sport graffiti and large smears of dark paint. "This has been going on a long tim e," adm itted Sanderson, adding local authorities just "try to keep peo ple out." Sanderson said the Town is som e what hamstrung on enforcing proper ty standards codes "as long as the house is kept up so that it fits into the neighbourhood." Though, as time passes, and the neglect continues, th at's becoming less and less the case. "It's a sad story," said Ward 4 Councillor Allan Elgar who noted the Town has gone so far as to find a real estate agent to work with the home owner to find som eone to rent and fix up the property, but the offer came to nothing. Police still on trail o f 17 com puters stolen from local business CRIME STOPPERS Call 825-TIPS or 1-800-668-5151 Halton Regional Police are appealing for the public's help in solving the theft of a laptop com puters from C aterpillar Financial, 700 Dorval Drive, Suite 705, that occurred last June. The burglary occurred som etim e between 6 p.m. June 19th and 8 a.m. Caterpillar Financial received a shipment o f 17 Toshiba Pentium 3 laptop computers valued at $4,890.00 each. The laptop computers were placed in the server room and locked before leaving employees left for the evening. The next morning, there were only 16 of the 17 lap tops in the room which was still locked. A suspect stole one of the laptop computers over night. During the investigation, police learned there have been similar thefts at this busi ness complex. If you know who is stealing computers and selling them for profit call Crime Stoppers. You never have to identify your self. If you have any information on this crime or any other crime, contact Crime Stoppers. If you have any information that leads to an arrest in this or any other matter, you may be eligible for a cash reward. You will never have to give your name or testify in court. Crime Stoppers of Halton does not subscribe to call dis play . Call 1-800-222-TIPS OR 905825-TIPS (905-825-8477) or check out the web at www.linkstohalton.com academic excellence, encourages independent thinking and cultivates individual talents. Our dedicated and experienced teachers inspire a love of learning through a curriculum that challenges the intellectual, social, physical and emotional development of the student. Fern Hill is a community which shares a Common goal: to encourage children to be the best students and the best people they can be. Fern Hill School promotes Our campuses in Oakville and Burlington offer stunning facilities for students from Preschool to Grade 8. We welcome you to beauty and the finest educational join our VIP club North Service Road visit our Burlington campus for an Open House on Saturday, October 13, 2001 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Limited spaces available for 2001/2002 academic year. Applications are now being accepted for September 2002. For m ore inform ation, please call Laura Beamish, Director of Admissions at 905-257-0022 or 905-634-8652. 801 North Service Road, Burlington, Ontario L7P 5B6 O akville Place Mall (905) 845-9292