PITT DENIES EXTENSION FOR CHARRED HOUSE

Pitt Meadows council confirmed its earlier order to have a house in
Somerset demolished despite a plea from the owner's lawyer at council
this week for an extension.

Council had earlier decided to order the owner to demolish his rental
house, which burned last year due to a grow-op.

But Michael Ranspot, counsel for the owner Michael Legge, asked for a
60- to 90-day extension because of an on-going legal battle with the
insurer and the desire to rebuild the house.

"If the existing structure is demolished as per the order of council,
an option to Mr. Legge or the insurer is removed," Ranspot said.

Ranspot said that while his client was "sympathetic" to the
neighbours' complaints, he is not a wealthy man and having one's house
destroyed because of a marijuana grow-op is a "nightmare."

Legge wants to rebuild the house instead of demolishing it, Ranspot
said, but he can't afford the estimated $250,000 needed to rebuild it
without the compensation he's seeking for his insurer.

"It's an extremely harsh scenario he's facing," Ranspot
said.

However, Ranspot said even if the owner got a 60- to 90-day extension,
he couldn't guarantee the issue would be settled by then.

Ranspot added that a surveyor Legge hired last fall felt rebuilding
the house was feasible.

Kim Grout, director of operations with the City of Pitt Meadows,
however, said the city feels the building is past rebuilding,
especially since it's been without a roof for the winter.

Councillor Tracy Miyashita said since the owner wasn't at the council
meeting, and hasn't worked with city staff to rectify the situation,
she didn't see how 60 days would help improve the situation and
therefore wouldn't support the request for an extension.

Councillor Gwen O'Connell said she was "disgusted" by the fact that
the house has been allowed to remain in its condition for as long as
it has.

Mayor Don MacLean said that although he's "not without sympathy"
toward the owner, as an insurance broker, he doesn't believe a grow-op
could exist if an owner checks on his or her property once a month.

"To delay would only cause additional inconvenience to the neighbours
and I think end up in the same place we are now," MacLean said.

Council had reserved time on the agenda for public input on the burned
out house, and Chestnut Crescent resident Darlene Stevenson said she
had concerns about safety and property values in the neighbourhood as
well as the overall impact.

"We live- a beautiful neighbourhood in a beautiful city," Stevenson
said. "We moved here five years ago to raise our son and have a family."

She said while she felt "sympathetic" to the owner when the house
first burned, they haven't seen "hide nor hair" of him since it
happened. The owner has until June 30 to demolish the building,
according to the city's bylaw officer Lesley Elchuk. If he doesn't the
city will have the authority to demolish it and charge back the cost
to the owner.