Loading...
HomeMy Public PortalAbout20-186John Van Drasek 6640 Bill Lundy Road Laurel Hill, Florida 32567 (850) 758-7524 City Of Crestview Community Development, Code Compliance Division 198 Wilson Street North Crestview, Florida 32536 11-6-20 RE: Case #20-186 Dear Special Magistrate: The above referenced case has been scheduled for a public hearing on November 17, 2020. If I am physically able to attend I will be there. However, I am submitting this letter to you so that you can have a "heads up" on the issue from the perspective that I have held since this matter surfaced almost 10 years ago. As best as my records indicate I received notice of violation in March of 2011. On the first week of April that same year I spoke with Senida Olgesby and indicated to her that I would be willing to help her move this matter forward as best as I could. To put the issue in a more precise framework I had a survey done on the property. The survey indicated some irregularities that seemed to be unmistakable building code violations. So after several attempts to contact the adjacent property owner, Mr. Lee, with no result I set a meeting with Bill Dagel, Crestview's building codes manager and he said he would meet with Leonard C. Lee and try to resolve this matter. After several weeks a meeting was set at the property between Mr. Lee, Mr. Dagel, and me. At that meeting Mr. Lee agreed to allow me to remove the wood structure of my building while leaving the block structure of his building that was on my property. I was to lease back to Mr. Lee a portion of my property that his UN permitted addition was on. Mr. Dagel would then give written assurance from the City that the portion of Mr. Lee's building that was on my property met City code requirements. However, the assurance from the City never came and in order to remove my building Mr. Lee would have had to sign a statement holding the demolition company without liability for any unforeseen damage to his building. Mr. Lee would not sign and as a result the demolition company would not take the job. As a result and since the City still wanted the property cleaned up I removed the wooden structure of my building leaving only the front concrete block facade facing the MILK Street and the back concrete block section that was now attached to Mr. Lee's addition to his building (please see the Google Maps overhead view). In all of these several months of my effort I kept Ms. Oglesby informed of my progress and set backs. Fast forward to the end of 2019, I now received the same notice of violation from Ms. Oglesby's department. I immediately started to try to resolve the matter with phone calls and when the calls were not returned I wrote letters (please see attached). I have been willing and am still willing to do whatever is required to get this situation resolved to the satisfaction of the City. However, I believe that the City has been complicit in this problem from the beginning in that they allowed a UN permitted structure to be built on an adjoining property that was not owned by the builder. And, subsequent to the back and forth bickering about issues pertaining to this matter that have gone on now for almost 10 years the local demolition companies are hesitant to take on this project. I have offered to sell my property to Mr. Lee and even carry the mortgage with nothing down. Or, I have offered to purchase Mr. Lee's property. I have gone to considerable effort and expense to, help the City resolve this problem. I have acted in good faith throughout this matter and am still willing to do whatever is required to help the City bring this issue to a satisfactory conclusion. Thank you in advance for your efforts to have this matter heard from my perspective. Very Respectfully, John R. Van Drasek Jr 6640 Bill Lundy Road Laurel Hill, Florida 32567 (850) 682-9911 City of Crestview Attn: Code Enforcement Officer 201 Stillwell Boulevard Crestview, Florida 32539 Date: 3-10-11 Case No: CE 110067 Dear Ms. Oglesby: In response to our telephone conversation today I am addressing this request. As you have probably already made note the property located at 492 Martin Luther King Blvd. has been thoroughly cleaned and groomed to a respectable standard. However, as we have discussed the building at that location is another issue. When the original building was added on to the City of Crestview allowed construction practices that would not meet current code requirements. I refer most specifically to the common roof that the building shares with the building next to it. My intention is to comply with all city requirements but I am having a bit of a challenge orchestrating the demolition of my building as long as the building owner next door is not in agreement. Again, my specific problem is that demolition companies are hesitant to begin work that has the potential to inflict undue liability on them. As you know I am currently working with two demolition companies and both are trying to move the issue forward. This issue is a very delicate one for many reasons and with that in mind I am requesting a continuance of the 30 day time limit that the City has set for me to comply. We are making progress but we need more time. I am willing to tastefully board up the building so that it does not become a nuisance or an eye -sore in the neighborhood. I thank you for your interest and assistance in this matter and will wait for your response. Very Sincerely, John R. Van Drasek Jr. 6640 Bill Lundy Road Laurel Hill, Florida 32567 850 682-9911 Mr. Lenoard C Lee P.O. Box 622 Crestview, Florida 32536 July 19, 2011 Dear Mr. Lee: I am having a bit of a hard time sorting out what to do with this situation we are in. On the one hand The City appears to want that whole corner cleared and it also appears that they are now using me to be the vehicle to make that happen. As you can see from the enclosed copy of the recent survey a portion of your building is on the wrong lot. If I go ahead with the planned demo of the structures on the lot that I am responsible for I would have to remove a portion of the main structure of your club. If I do that The City could get their way because it may make your building untenable. On the other hand if I could work something out with you we could probably save the intrusive removal of that portion of your building thus saving you from a very costly repair or maybe the ultimate demolition of your building too. As you can see The City is hardening their position and circling their wagons. I am sure that they have contacted you from more than one of their offices. I would like to save you the head ache that will surely follow from their actions, however, the demo of my portion is already going to cost me more than $4,000.00 and to do it in a half-baked fashion would only cost me more and drag this issue out. Additionally, The City is threatening to charge me $250.00 per day for non compliance with their violation notice if I fail to act. As you can see, which ever way I turn I am between the rock and the hard spot. Working something out with you could be the way to save us both a lot of trouble and expense. I am not your enemy ... please consider talking to me about this issue. Very Sincerely, John R. Van Drasek Jr. 6640 Bill Lundy Road Laurel Hill, Florida 32567 (850) 682-9911 City Of Crestview Attn: Code Enforcement Officer 201 Stillwell Boulevard Crestview, Florida 32539 Date: 8-1-11 Case No: CE 110067 Dear Ms. Oglesby: This Letter is to follow up on the meeting that we had on July 25, 2011 at your location. On that same day I was able to meet with Mr. Lee and a representative from the City's permit department at the MLK location. We discussed the unpermitted addition to Mr. Lee's building that extended onto the lot that I own and that the City wants cleaned up. Mr. Lee agreed to the demolition and clean up of some of the structures on the property that I own and further agreed that I would lease back to him a portion of the property along with the remaining structures. Mr. Lee agreed to sign a "hold harmless letter" for the demolition company so that we could get the code compliance project underway. The City's permit department representative agreed to provide written assurance the structures that would remain on the Lot 8 portion of my property currently met the City's code standards. As of today, the demolition company informs me that Mr. Lee refuses to sign the "hold harmless letter" and I have received no assurance from the City that the agreed upon structures that were to remain on my property met the City's code standards. Therefore, at this time I do not think it prudent to proceed with the scheduled partial demolition at 492 MLK Blvd. I am assembling a commercial lease for Mr. Lee's signature and when I have that completed and signed and the assurances that the City has promised I will be prepared to proceed with this project. Very Sincerely, John Van Drasek 6640 bill Lundy Road Laurel Hill, Florida 32567 (850) 758-7524 City of Crestview Attn: Code Enforcement Division P.O. Box 1209 Crestview, Florida 32536 Re: Case 419-00000914 October 26, 2019 Dear Ms. Lancaster This letter is to acknowledge the receipt of the certified correspondence that I recently received from your office. After our two conversations last week I feel that I need to stay as current on this issue as I can. So, as I described to you, this issue is not a simple one and is one of long-standing. In that there were a lot of correspondence and personal meetings when this matter first surfaced in 2011,1 am enclosing a copy of my August, 2011 letter to your department. If after your review of this letter, you have any questions, please contact me at your convenience. Very Sincerely, John Van Drasek 6640 bill Lundy Road Laurel Hill, Florida 32567 (850) 758-7524 City of Crestview Attn: Code Enforcement Division P.O. Box 1209 Crestview, Florida 32536 Re: Case # 19-00000814 October 28, 2020 Dear Ms. Lancaster: It has been a year since we last spoke. I have had some medical set -backs in that time and have not been able to track this issue as closely as I would have liked. In our last conversation you indicated to me that you had spoken to Mr. Lee and Job and they were both ready to get started on the demolition project at the MLK property. I was there yesterday and it appears that nothing has been started. I have indicated to you and your department my intention to cooperate and assist in any way possible to help the city get this project completed. I have in -fact professed that commitment for the better part of the past 10 years in conversation and in writing. So, after seeing that no progress had been made on the project and in order to continue to show good faith, yesterday I met with three demolition contractors. One of those contractors was Job Dirt Works. I can clearly see that subsequent to the last several storms that the property that adjoins mine has become a potential hazard to the community. I hope that your enthusiasm to get this project completed has not cooled. I know that you must be busy but I have called you several times since we last spoke. I even spoke to a Scott Sullivan when I could not reach you and he assured me that I would be called back. And that never happened. So, my inability to contact you directly has prompted this note. I hope that you will find the time to let me know what is going on soon as I am anxious to bring this matter to completion. Very Sincerely, John Van Drasek 6640 bill Lundy Road Laurel Hill, Florida 32567 (850) 758-7524 City of Crestview Attn: Code Enforcement Division P.O. Box 1209 Crestview, Florida 32536 Re: Case #20-00000186 Dear Ms. Oglesby: It is so nice to hear from you again after all these years. However, I am a bit distressed that after all these years that the City of Crestview has not been able to bring this issue to a satisfactory conclusion. In 2019 I started working with a Ms. Lancaster from the City of Crestview on this issue. I have expressed to her my willingness to help her, as I did with you in 2011, in whatever way I could to get this issue resolved. I don't think it is productive to come to me again with your standard letter of threats to try to influence me to take action that I cannot take due to the City of Crestview's bungling of this matter in the very beginning (please see attached correspondence dated 3 -10-11 and 8-1-11). I have done everything that I can think of to do regarding influencing Mr. Lee to cooperate with the City to include offering sale or lease of my portion of the property to him so that this matter could be made easier to resolve. I even offered to hold the mortgage note so that there would be no initial out-of-pocket expense to him. I have also, some years ago, dismantled my portion of the property to comply with Sect. 38-3 (7). So, I am only able to regard your continued notices of threats as unnecessary until you address the real obstacle here which I believe is Mr. Lee. You have had my support on this issue for almost a decade now and I believe continued harassment directed at me will serve no productive outcome. I encourage you to call me at your convenience if you have any further questions regarding this matter. Very Sincerely, =I a]