NEIGHBOURS GLAD MARIJUANA HOUSE TORN DOWN

A former marijuana grow house on Morrison Street is demolished, much
to the delight of area residents.

The small property near Fourth Avenue had been sealed up tight since
Feb. 22, 2005 after firefighters responding to a blaze discovered a
marijuana-growing operation in the basement.

"I'm glad it's gone.

"It was such an eyesore," said a woman who lives nearby, who did not
want to be identified.

"More than a year and a half later, you could still smell smoke and
other odours. It wasn't pleasant."

The damage caused by both the fire and the drug lab led the Niagara
Falls Fire Department to issued closure and unsafe to occupy orders
against the property.

The orders prohibited anyone from living in the residence until it
was cleaned up.

The property owner determined it was more cost-effective to demolish
the former residence rather than clean it up. The building was
subsequently taken over by a financial institution which arranged for
the demolition that happened earlier this month.

This is the first time in Niagara Falls a residential home that
housed a grow-op has been levelled.

"It was cheaper to tear it down than it was to comply with
remediating it because of the fire and the marijuana grow operation,"
said fire prevention officer Jim Jessop.

The fire department currently has unsafe to occupy orders against
over 40 properties in Niagara Falls that once housed marijuana grow operations.