Deadline to gut homes is set

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The Times-Picayune

Deadline to gut homes is set

Owners who don't face seized after Aug. 29

Friday, April 21, 2006

By Bruce Eggler

Staff writer

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-

5/1145602126266320.xml

Concerned that thousands of residents are doing nothing to fix up

their flooded homes, the New Orleans City Council voted Thursday to

set Aug. 29, Hurricane Katrina's first anniversary, as the deadline

for people to clean, gut and board up their homes, or risk having

the city seize and demolish them.

The ordinance was introduced by Councilman Jay Batt, who said

ravaged, mold-infested houses, especially if not boarded up, can

become " environmental biohazards " that will slow the recovery of

whole neighborhoods by discouraging nearby owners from moving back

or making repairs.

The ordinance, approved 7-0, says " every owner of a dwelling or

dwelling unit shall be responsible for mold remediation, cleaning,

gutting and properly securing the premises of all properties "

damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita " in a manner so as to render

the premises environmentally sound and not open to the public. "

The owner " shall take appropriate measures to complete this work as

soon as possible, but no later than Aug. 29, 2006, " the measure

says.

If an owner does not take action, the building will be declared a

public nuisance " and shall be abated by repair, rehabilitation,

demolition or removal, " the ordinance says.

" It's not fair to others to let these houses languish, " Batt

said. " No neighborhood is going to be worth a doggone " with

hurricane-blighted houses in its midst.

It's also important for owners to gut, remediate and board up their

homes as soon as possible to protect the property's value, he said.

To help homeowners who need financial assistance to remediate their

property, Batt said, a Web site will be set up listing nonprofit

organizations that can work with them.

Councilwoman Gill Pratt said many homeowners want to return to

New Orleans but have yet to receive insurance settlements or other

needed aid. At her suggestion, Batt's ordinance was amended to

provide a process for reviewing hardship cases.

Chief Deputy City Attorney Pugh said that when a notice is

sent out telling an owner that his property is being considered for

designation as a public nuisance, information on the review process

will be included.

Batt's proposal was supported by Cowie, president of the

Venetian Isles Civic and Improvement Association, but was denounced

by activist Babatunji Ahmed, a regular at council meetings.

Saying the measure was directed primarily against black residents,

Ahmed said it reminded him of the way former Confederate leaders

seized power again in Southern states at the end of Reconstruction

after the Civil War. " The rebels are rearming, " he warned.

Batt said the measure would apply equally in black and white

neighborhoods, whether in Lakeview, Gentilly or the 9th Ward.

Mayor Ray Nagin did not respond immediately to an e-mail message

asking whether he will sign or veto the ordinance. If Nagin does

veto the ordinance, the council likely would have the five votes

needed to overturn it because the measure was approved unanimously.

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Bruce Eggler can be reached at beggler@... or (504)

826-3320.