Any property upon which there exists ruins, ditches, open trenches,
pits, inactive construction, foundations, open wells, retaining walls or the
like and whose unimpeded vertical drop exceeds five feet shall be considered
hazardous.[1]
Owners and/or occupiers of such property shall be required, within 60
days of enactment of this article, or thereafter 60 days from the inception
of such hazard, to provide a temporary cover, railing, barricade or other
protective means for excluding both adults and small children. An application
for a building permit shall then be filed within the subsequent sixty-day
period, proposing a permanent method of eliminating the hazard or securing
the site.
These and any other site conditions deemed conducive to falls, caveins,
fires, drowning or similar hazard may be cited by the Police Department, Board
of Trustees, Public Works Superintendent, Planning Board or Building Inspector.
Upon written notice from any of these officials, the property owner or occupier
shall, within seven days, reply to the Board of Trustees and either request
a hearing from that Board or submit a timely plan for correcting the cited
conditions. The decision of the Board of Trustees shall be binding, and corrective
measures must be completed within the Board's specified time period.
A.
In cases of emergency, or whenever a property owner or
occupier fails to make the required changes, repairs or improvements, the
Village or its designee shall have the right to enter said property and perform
any or all corrective measures. The Board of Trustees shall thereupon assess
such expense upon the real property involved, which shall become a lien upon
the property.
