Condemned buildings to come down
They are more than just a blight on the city, they can be a health and safety hazard, not to mention a base for criminal activity. But something is being done to remove unsafe, condemned buildings all over town. Today News 5 was invited on a tour of some residences scheduled for demolition.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
HIV can kill you, but the building on which this message is written, can be just as deadly. The two storey concrete structure is just one of over three hundred houses in Belize City that are badly in need of repairs or taken down. The building, at number 122 West Street, was once a bar and residence. It has been abandoned for quite some time and is now home to criminal activity.
Assistant Superintendent of Police and the Commander of Dragon Unit, Russell Blackett, recalls what one of his teams discovered following a pre-dawn raid this past October.
A.S.P. Russell Blackett, Commander, Dragon Unit
“When we found a mask just in the room down to your left, there we found ten nine-millimetre rounds, one point-four-five round with a mask. So the concern the Police Department has is that guys can easily lay in wait, drag a female in these abandoned buildings, rape them. Occasionally they bring their crack cocaine and the cocaine up here to cook and make it into crack.”
The building is ideal for any illegal activity, as an inside staircase leads you downstairs and into the lower flat that was once used as a drinking establishment.
A.S.P. Russell Blackett
“Preparations for crimes are done within these abandoned buildings. And even sometimes they use it as stash houses. We know for a fact that when we would pass by on the street we would see two guys just two houses from here just hanging out. What they are actually doing is minding the building because they have interests within the buildings.”
In June, the police, along with the Belize City Council, the Public Health Department, the Fire Department, and the Court began identifying those buildings considered a risk to people’s lives and neighbourhoods. The programme is conducted under the Demolishing of Dangerous Buildings Act. Over the past seven months, twelve houses have been demolished. Belize City Council Senior Town Planner, Froylan Alvarado, says sixty more buildings are in disrepair and must be destroyed.
Froylan Alvarado, Sr. Town Planner, Belize City Council
“They are not structurally sound, the structural integrity has been compromised in many of these cases and what is happening is that it may, in the case of a strong breeze, fall upon somebody’s house and actually cause that building to be destroyed.”
The dilapidated buildings are also great fire hazards. Despite the dangers that these structures represent, it is troubling to know that some people still live in them. Authorities strongly suspect that someone has taken up residence in this leaning and broken down wooden structure, even though a notice to demolish has been posted. It was also discovered that the person may have done this illegal connection to get electricity, and doesn’t even realize that a simple power surge can cause the building to go up in flames.
At another location, Michael Harris expressed his displeasure with the programme, even though his house is clearly a danger to him and his family. Harris says he is a hardworking plumber but it’s because of poverty he lives this way. Harris says he has no intention to leave.
Alvarado says most of the abandoned houses are for absentee landowners and measures will be taken to let those persons living abroad know of their situation. The homeowners are given at least four months to either repair the buildings or have it taken down. If nothing is done, the matter is taken to court and a judgement made on whether the structure should be demolished. Jacqueline Woods for News 5.
Alvarado says the demolition work costs between one thousand to three thousand dollars per building. Normally, the homeowner would be charged for any action taken but in some cases where it is in the best interest of the community to expedite matters, the Belize City Council waives the fee.
