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Field trip leaves Fremont board with ideas for improvement
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Field trip gives Fremont board ideas for improvement
By Sarah A. Wise
NL Staff Writer
20 March 2008 — After a site-seeing mission of sorts around town last week, the Fremont town board came together for their March meeting with changes in mind.
The board discussed a pair of resolutions, one stemming directly from observations the board made when observing the business district of town.
That ordinance would create a minimum standard for nonresidential buildings in town, and would potentially decrease the amount of abandoned and boarded-up commercial spaces in town.
Town Administrator Kerry McDuffie explained that the town’s current ordinances allow them to enforce minimum safety standards on nonresidential buildings. However, the most the town could do would contact the land owner, and the land owner would be obligated to board up the building.
The proposed ordinance, he said, would put teeth to the current ordinances, and set a limit for how long the structure could stay empty and boarded up before the town could take action.
Once the Board of Aldermen have declared a building to be in violation of minimum safety standards, the owner must vacate and repair or tear down the building. If the owner fails to do so within two years, the town can declare the structure abandoned and condemn it.
The board indicated general agreement with the ordinance, and a public hearing will be held on the ordinance at next month’s meeting. Citizens are invited to voice their opinions on the matter at that time.
The board passed another ordinance regarding penalties for false alarm calls.
Last month, the board requested that Mr. McDuffie draw up an ordinance outlining penalties for excessive false alarm calls.
The ordinance the board approved this month defines false alarms as those caused by user error or mistake, alarm malfunction, or intentional misuse. It applies to burglary, robbery, fire or any other home or business alarm that calls out police or the fire department.
If any home or business has two false alarms in a thirty day period, the owner will receive a letter informing him or her that they are on a 90-day probationary period.
If a third false alarm occurs during that period, the owner of the alarm is charged $100 fee for that call and any other calls that may follow.
WT Smith, who also serves as a volunteer with the Fremont Fire Department, brought up the matter last month. At this month’s meeting, he expressed that he thought the ordinance would be effective.
“We’ve had as many as three alarms in one day from the same building,” he said. “You start charging them, and they’ll call someone to get it fixed after the first one.”
The board unanimously approved the ordinance.
Finally, the board discussed a request to designate handicapped parking spaces in front of Fremont STARS. They asked Police Chief Ron Rawlings to investigate the best location and bring a request to the board next month.
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