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Junk-car complaints on idle in Taborville
(by Sue Reid - October 29, 2008)
Junk-car complaints on idle in Taborville
By SUE REID
A resident of the Taborville community in Auburn appealed to Township Trustees about junk and unlicensed vehicles on properties in the neighborhood.
Resident Raymond Tittl, who has lived in Taborville since 1980, said, "The biggest investment I have is my house. Junk vehicles in the yards depreciate the value of my property and everyone's property."
He said there has been an ongoing problem in the neighborhood with people who have junk or unlicensed vehicles on their properties. Many years ago, when he served on the Taborville Homeowners Association, problems of junk and unlicensed vehicles took years to resolve and included having to go through the courts, Mr. Tittl said.
Currently, there are five properties with such vehicles, he said. Last year and last spring, he photographed the vehicles and submitted them to the Taborville Homeowners Association, which in turn presented them to Auburn Township, he said.
Months later, he noticed that the majority of the vehicles were still there, Mr. Tittl said. "I called the township and inquired what is going on with this." He said he was told the situation would be handled by fall. A couple vehicles did get moved, he said, but not all of them.
Mr. Tittl cited Ohio House Bill 50, which went into effect earlier this year, giving townships more "teeth" in enforcing the issue of junk vehicles without having to go through the judicial process.
Trustee Michael Troyan said five property owners were cited in Taborville.
Auburn Zoning Inspector Frank Kitko inspected the area and issued letters, and one of the offenders has been forwarded to the Geauga County Prosecutor's Office, Mr. Troyan said. "We're just following procedures on those."
In general, junk or unlicensed vehicles on properties are not a major problem in Auburn, he said.
H.B. 50 has not been implemented in the township, Mr. Troyan said. "We don't want to be in the position of hauling cars off of property." He said the new law gives the township power to send someone to the property and remove the vehicles.
People violating the rule normally comply when they are sent letters or cited, Mr. Troyan said.
Referring to new violations, Mr. Tittl asked, "Is it going to take another six to nine months for these to be addressed, or is House Bill 50 going to allow you to act quicker?"
"If there is no response, depending on communication, we'll pass it over to the prosecutor's office for them to talk with the residents," Mr. Troyan said.
Mr. Tittl noted that the lots in Taborville are about a third of an acre, and the roads within the development are private.
A high-density area, the Taborville development historically was a gymnastics camp in the 1920s and 1930s, with a number of small summer cottages. Over time, homes were built there. There are about 75 permanent residences now, with about 25 cottages remaining.
Taborville is 100 acres, 60 of which were divided into lots and sold. The other 40 are owned by the DTJ Club, a Czechoslovakian reference to "Workingmen Gymnastics Union."
The community hosts a variety of functions throughout the year, including monthly duck and chicken dinners and a gymnastics exhibition in the summer. Gymnastics are still taught in the community throughout the year.
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