Little has changed at 613 Cogswell Drive, except that the grass has gotten a bit longer than it was last month when Nathan Eide attended the Silver Lake Village Board meeting to see what could be done about the overgrowth.
According to village President Roger Johnson, a certified letter was mailed to the owner of the home, now in foreclosure. He is wanted by police and he fled the village a couple of months ago.
“We were told where he might be living at, and have sent a certified letter to him,” said Johnson at Wednesday’s board meeting. “He has ten days to respond to this letter.”
While Johnson was sympathetic to the numerous complaints, there is little than can be done until the ten days pass. However, after that time, the village can take action.
“We have it all set up to be cleaned up once the ten days passes,” said Johnson.
Another concern, according to village trustee, Merlene Engstrom surrounds an unlocked rear door.
“The back door of this house is not locked,” she said. “My problem is that school is out and there are kids around who might get into it. It could become a drink house and used for stuff like that.”
Trustee Ann Augustin wants to prevent the situation from recurring with other properties in foreclosure by changing the grass length ordinance.
“I think that we should be able to do something if the grass gets longer than eight inches,” she said. “The ordinance needs to be changed.”
