Town officials have received complaints about the Mountain View County shop in Sundre, located beside the Elks Hall, being unsightly for some time.
The building is owned by the county and has sat vacant for years, according to town officials.
During the meeting on July 14, Coun. Myron Thompson said he has received several complaints from residents about the condition of the shop.
The discussion was sparked when Kevin Heerema, the town's peace officer, presented the town's unsightly premises bylaw to council for discussion. He said that if council wishes, he could send a notice for cleanup to the county.
According to the bylaw, unsightly premise means “any property or part of it that exhibits visual evidence of a lack of general maintenance and upkeep, including the excessive accumulation on the premises of:
• Garbage, animal or human excrement, sewage, the whole or part of an animal carcass, dirt, soil, gravel, rocks, petroleum products, hazardous materials, disassembled equipment or machinery, broken household chattels or goods;
• The whole or any part of any vehicle or vehicles which are not registered with the Motor Vehicle Registry for the current year and which are inoperative by reason of disrepair, removed parts or missing equipment;
• Equipment or machinery which has been rendered inoperative by reason of disassembly, age or mechanical condition, including household appliances;
• Animal material, ashes, building material, garbage, and yard material as defined in the bylaw;
•Any other form of scrap, litter, trash, or waste of any kind”
“No owner or owners of a premise shall cause, allow or permit the premise to become or to continue to be an unsightly premise as defined in this bylaw.”
The bylaw also says the owner of the premise is required to control all weeds and grass on the property, as well as any boulevard that abuts or adjoins it.
The owner is also required to remove snow from any public sidewalk located adjacent to the premise.
Someone who violates the bylaw could be fined up to $10,000. The minimum fine is $300.
