10/06/2009
BUILDING/FLOOD BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT AND APPEALS MEETING MINUTES
CITY OF CLEARWATER
October 6, 2009
Present: John H. Logan, Jr. Chair
Pankaj Shah Board Member
Gary Richter Board Member
Absent: Edward H. Walker, Jr. Board Member
Arthur Shand Board Member
Also Present: Leslie Dougall-Sides Assistant City Attorney
Kevin Garriott Building Official
Patricia O. Sullivan Board Reporter
The Chair called the meeting to order at 2:09 p.m. at the Municipal Services Building.
To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not
necessarily discussed in that order.
2 - Approval of Minutes –
August 4, 2009
Consensus was to continue approval of the minutes to the next meeting.
3 – Continued Requests
: - None.
4 – New Request
:
4.1 Case: MIS2009-08009, 608 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue – Magnolia Park Blk 23, Lots
17 and 18 less S 84 feet – Appellant Name: Frank Persechino, Request: That building be
deemed safe
No one was present to represent the property owner. Frank Persechino appealed the
City’s unsafe building citation, stating in his application that the “building is unoccupied and
there are no hazards to persons outside the building.” The application requested that the
building be deemed safe. The accompanying letter from Razak Geo Technical Engineers Inc.
stated that the firm could not inspect the structure.
Building Official Kevin Garriott reviewed the City’s Unsafe Building Abatement Code
process. Staff is willing to work with the property owner to raze the structure or bring it into
compliance. The property owner has not indicated a willingness to act.
Mr. Garriott reviewed photographs of the structure at 608 S. Martin Luther King Jr.
Avenue taken on August 10, 2009. The unsecured structure is an attractive nuisance that lacks
power, has unsafe wiring, structural problems, and has been left unattended, without
maintenance, for a long time. Photographs showed tarps on the structure, missing soffit,
deteriorating wood and fascia, mold on the exterior, a leaking roof, and the interior littered with
debris and lacking dry wall and ceilings.
Building - Flood 2009-10-06 1
In response to questions, Mr. Garriott did not know if other buildings are on the property
or when the building was last occupied. The City first cited the property in August 2009. The
Pinellas County Property Appraiser lists the structure as a boarding house with five to seven
units.
A board member expressed concern that the property owner had filed an appeal rather
than addressing problems with the structure, which appears to be unsafe. It was recommended
that the City continue with its unsafe building procedure.
Member Richter moved to deny Case MIS 2009-09009 as the structure at 608 S. Martin
Luther King Jr. Avenue is unsafe. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
5 - Other Business - None.
6 - Adjourn
The meeting adjourned at 2:23 p.m.
~q! ;;zf ~{
C ai U
BUI ding/Flood Board of Adjustment & Appeals
Building - Flood 2009-10-06
2