Clean up costly for Kimball crews

After years of trying, the City of Kimball was finally able to complete the abatement process at 212 S. Burg St. in Kimball, a property they have attempted to abate since 2010, according to Kimball Mayor Keith Prunty.

"We have finally gotten through the legal process. I think we are fortunate that we found some avenues to pursue (abatement)," he said. "I want to commend our street department, they did a wonderful job on this and the line crews will finish up with the trees."

Throughout the process City Council adopted the International Building Code, several years ago, which states, among other guidelines, that where there is a window or door, there will be a window or door – not plywood.

"We adopted that so that it doesn't look like we just went through a tropical storm here," he said.

Though most property owners respond to abatement letters with positive action, there are some owners that cannot be found and others that are unable to remedy the situation on their own. Then, the City steps in to abate the concerns, ultimately at the cost of the property owner.

Last fall, Kimball City Council passed a resolution to recover the cost of abatement through special assessments on tax rolls as opposed to collection agencies, offering the municipality a better chance of recovering those costs.

"We decided to have the City crews do the abatements and we will tack the costs on as special assessments on the tax rolls," Prunty said.

This most recent clean-up process took a total of more than 30 man hours with equipment, in addition to the time and equipment needed to remove dead and dying trees at a cost of more than $7,000.

Once they began abating the property, crews hauled out six 10 yard dump trucks of construction and demolition debris, two dump truck loads of metal and 30 tires, according to City Administrator Dan Dean.

"We got a report, they (city crews) were meticulous in detailing what they were dealing with," Dean said. "It demonstrates the kind of mess that was there."

Abatement actions taken by the City only cover the exterior of the property, as the interior of buildings take a completely different tactic. In the most extreme cases the City could demolish unsafe structures if concerns are not addressed by property owners.

"It is a very severe action, to destroy somebody's property," Dean said. "And it is a last resort as far as I am concerned."

With a few more properties on the abatement list, the City of Kimball encourages property owners to clean up and offers some assistance as well.

Again this year the City hopes to offer a provide money to assist those who have dead trees to trim or remove through a tree grant program by the South Platte Natural Resources District.

Additionally, the annual Kimball Spring Clean up will be scheduled soon. Citizens will be given the chance to call the City office and schedule a pick-up for their unwanted items, which will then be taken to the landfill. This service is generally offered for two weeks in Kimball, but citizens must call to request it.

"We want you to take pride in your property," Dean encouraged. "If neighbors hold neighbors accountable, we won't have this mess."