THE EDITOR: I wholeheartedly agree with George Elias, whose letter about the need to clear abandoned land and hold errant land and property owners to account was published in Newsday earlier this week.
Along the street of 30 plots, where I live, there are four overgrown and abandoned properties whose owners haven’t been seen in 25 years. One of these plots used to be a garage, but now it has fallen into serious disrepair, with a deep pit in the ground and a rotted roof overhead. It has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, and Heaven forbid if some inquisitive youngster decides to explore that hazardous site and falls into the pit.
I suggest government take a serious look at derelict properties and implement a procedure to cut grass, remove trash and debris, and demolish unsafe structures. The costs of these remedial actions should be charged to the property's owner/s and these costs must be recovered, with similar penalties for payment as with property taxes.
Naturally, all of this should be supported by legislation. We need a fair, efficient and effective solution. Continuing to do nothing is not an option!
TERESA GONSALVES
Santa Cruz
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