LAKEPORT >> When Lakeport resident Patrick Joyce was alive, neighbors and city staff recalled that he was difficult to deal with when it came to cleaning up the massive pile of junk surrounding his dilapidated house on 767 Third Street.
Nearly a decade of complaints went unanswered. Official abatement notices were met with “a limited amount of progress”— just enough to avoid a misdemeanor penalty.
“He played a cat and mouse game with the city,” Lakeport Community Development Director Kevin Ingram said.
Even though he died last fall, the mess still remains and his legacy of causing frustration has been exacerbated as city staff have made many attempts to contact the financial institution that owns the property, Fidelity National Tax Service, in hopes of getting the matter resolved without their involvement.
So far, calls to different numbers (which were also made by The Record-Bee) have led nowhere, while letters to the company’s address have been returned, leaving staff to wonder if it even exists.
This has created a dilemma for the city because it is now faced with the possibility of doing the abatement itself, which would force it to expend money that may not be paid back.
“It doesn’t mean that we can’t proceed,” Ingram said.
Meanwhile, calls for action have grown.
At the Lakeport City Council’s regular meeting on April 19, many residents in the house’s proximity came out to address their concerns. One of them was next-door neighbor Ruth Shriber, who read an open letter — signed by about ten people including her — that cited concerns of rats infesting nearby homes, mold, fire hazards and worries of further blight if the property goes unattended.
“We are concerned that these problems will continue to escalate,” the letter said.
History of the mess
According to city documents, the first complaint against Joyce came in 2005.
When staff came out to investigate they found many registered and unregistered vehicles along with “notable accumulation” of junk and trash. Over time, this stockpile of vehicles (including a boat and ATVs) extended out of his flag-shaped lot and into the street, blocking traffic for people like John Saare who lives across the street.
“He kept a parade of vehicles parked out there,” Saare said. “Everybody had an issue with him over the course of time,”
A year went by but no progress had been made. This forced the city to record its official abatement notice against the site, which he failed to adhere despite a thirty-day extension.
He also failed to comply with a second abatement notice that was assessed in January 2007.
“Staff doesn’t anticipate the owner making serious progress on the remaining nuisance conditions…” a memo for Joyce’s Feb. 6, 2007 council hearing said. The minutes from that meeting indicate that the council unanimously moved to place a deadline on Joyce or the city would abate the property itself, that is if the cost to do so was less than $10,000.
The city did not follow on its threat — except for towing a few vehicles — and it isn’t clear as to why. Ingram said it’s possible that the city just couldn’t do it with its limited staff, which was decimated a year later by the recession.
“You’re talking about a city that has never had an official code enforcement department,” he added, stating that employees do a variety of jobs. “Where do you allocate your staff resources?”
The Community Development Director also said he didn’t know if administrative penalties were assessed.
What’s going on now?
During the April 9 city council meeting, Mayor Marc Spillman — who lives close to the site — told the people in the audience that the city would check out the property. For insurance reasons he didn’t join inspectors and city staff when they visited it on May 5 when the county experienced a thunderstorm. However, he did hold a neighborhood meeting and met with nearby residents to address the issue on April 23.
“The surviving son was concerned about injury and people being covered,” Spillman said via email, adding that Ingram and inspector Tom Carlton were covered during the execution of their duties. The surviving son’s name wasn’t released.
According to the mayor, the man wasn’t close with his father but he may return in June to attempt to remove more equipment and vehicles. Yet, that action is proving to be problematic because the son can’t find the pink slips for some of the vehicles.
“[It’s] pretty much a mess,” he added.
At the same time, the city is still hoping to contact Fidelity National Tax Service so they can handle this problem much faster. Until then, Ingram said the city is trying to get it officially labeled as “uninhabitable.”
“It takes some time but it’s definitely one of our top priorities,” he said.
