The garage is dilapidated and its roof is caving in, but a homeowner will be allowed to replace the top of the structure and continue using the building as storage.
During its recent executive committee meeting, city council voted 5-2 to give Margaret Deagle until Wednesday, Aug. 31 to repair the roof of her garage at 1014 Sixth Avenue Northwest, subject to a structural engineering report. If she fails to meet the deadline, she must demolish the building by Friday, Sept. 30.
Councillors Heather Eby and Dawn Luhning were opposed.
The recommendation will become official when council approves it at its next regular meeting.
Background
A building official sent Deagle a letter on May 20 about her decrepit garage and ordered that the structure be demolished by June 10, based on two sections of the Property Maintenance and Nuisance Bylaw, a council report explained.
City hall has received complaints from neighbours about the garage’s condition since May 2021, while an inspection by the official showed the structure “is in very serious disrepair and poses a risk to the neighbouring properties.”
Presentation
Dave Deagle, Margaret’s son, spoke to council and asked that they be given time to remove the damaged roof since some of the inside rafters had collapsed.
“We were trying to get it down (this summer), but we were shingling the (Mrs. Deagle’s) house first and we ran out of time and it broke before we could do it,” he said, noting they plan to install new rafters since the 100-year-old garage is still viable and adds to the property’s value.
It will take about a month to replace the roof, and once that is completed, the family will add eyebolts and large industrial straps inside the building to bring the walls closer together since they are slightly bulging, Deagle continued. They will also add cross braces for a stronger roof, which should help hold heavy snow.
Council discussion
The roof is in “very, very rough shape,” said Coun. Doug Blanc, and while he wasn’t opposed to the Deagles replacing the roof, he wanted a deadline so the project didn’t drag on for months. He also wanted an engineering report to review the upgrades so the building didn’t threaten neighbours’ safety.
Other councillors such as Jamey Logan, Kim Robinson and Crystal Froese agreed with providing an extension to fix the roof. Conversely, Luhning opposed giving an extension and said upholding the original order to demolish was not a difficult decision for her to make.
“It is things like this that when neighbouring citizens are complaining about property disrepair … I just feel there is a responsibility to be a good neighbour,” she said. “So when these things are administered by our bylaw officers, we have bylaws for a reason and we have deadlines for a reason. This is not a new thing.”
Logan disagreed, saying council is performing its duties by giving this extension. He pointed out that neighbours aren’t happy with how the structure looks, the building official recommended that it be demolished, the homeowner asked for time to replace the roof, and council is granting that request.
“By doing that, I think we’ve done our job up here,” he said, adding this move should assuage adjacent neighbours.
The next executive committee meeting is Monday, July 11.
