Summerside deals with unsightly properties

SUMMERSIDE – The City of Summerside is trying to deal with two properties that have garnered complaints under its unsightly properties bylaw.

The first property is 405 Chestnut Avenue. This will be the second year in a row that city staff have had to clean up this address.

The city has received several complaints about the state of the property in the past and last year council passed a motion to allow staff to go and clean it up at the owner’s expense. That motion was good for one year, but the property is again in a concerning state. Staff have again asked for permission to go and clean it up.

Council still has to pass a motion at its June meeting before that work would be allowed to go ahead. If it does, the owner would be billed for the work.

The second property is at 107 Water Street. It has been empty for several years but formerly housed a business called Mother’s Antiques.

The structure is boarded-up but some of the wood covering an access point has decayed to the point where the building is no longer secure.

City staff have been unable to contact the property owners to ask them to do the work, so city staff asked council to permit them to do so. The bill would be charged to the property owners.