Several Globe homeowners whose houses along Jesse Hayes Road were destroyed in last September's flooding are working against the clock to demolish their homes after receiving city code citations that led to pretrial conferences late last month.
The homeowners were cited in April for dilapidated structures and failing to maintain their properties after the City of Globe resumed code enforcement for flood-damaged homes. The city had suspended enforcement following the September disaster.
City Manager Paul Jepson said the citations were issued only for red-tagged homes where no visible progress had been made since the flood.
“I think this kind of helped them to recognize that they did need to take action and make this a priority,” he said.
Following June 22 pretrial conferences, Jepson said the city prosecutor granted each of the five affected households a 60- to 90-day extension.
“In all these cases, his decision was to allow more time for them to take the action,” he said. “Our goal is not to fine or take people to court and find them guilty. Our goal is to see these cases resolved so that the homes are made safe, the problem is resolved, it doesn't languish.”
“If those properties are able to pull demolition permits, that will fulfill the need of the citation; we will dismiss those citations once their permits are pulled,” he said.
'We weren't sure what to do'
Edward and Norma Caldera are among those now working through the demolition process.
They were home the night of the flood and escaped as waist-deep water tore through the house, pushing the kitchen off its foundation. The home, purchased by Edward's father in the 1950s, was a total loss.
All of the couple’s belongings were destroyed along with their home.
“We didn't worry about the house because that house was lost. My first thing was to get a roof over our head because we're in our 70s,” Edward said. “We ain't got that much energy. … We’re retired. We're on a fixed income. You know, we're not rich.”
After spending several months at the Copper Hills Inn, owned by their daughter, the couple obtained a Small Business Administration loan and were able to purchase a home in Florence.
The Calderas said the citation came as a surprise.
They said that, aside from receiving a red tag on the home declaring it unsafe, this was the first that they had heard from the city despite repeatedly visiting City Hall seeking information about next steps.
“Every time we went to the city hall, they told us to go talk to this guy, that guy, and that guy over there,” Edward said. “Every time we went in there and asked for them, they were never there.”
“So we weren't sure what we were supposed to do,” he said.
The couple said they left their phone numbers and were told paperwork would be mailed to them but received nothing until receiving a citation and summons ordering them to appear in Globe Magistrate Court in May.
There, they were required to enter a plea on the city code violations.
Eva Dorame, whose home on Jesse Hayes Road was also destroyed in the flood, was at the magistrate court the same day for the same citations. Her father bought the house in the 1950s; it’s where she lived until she got married. She inherited the house after her parents died, and it became a second home for her and her children to stay on weekends.
Like the Calderas house, it too was pushed off its foundation and filled with several feet of mud. The ceiling was collapsing.
She said the city's building inspector contacted her in October to inform her the home had been red-tagged and would likely need to be demolished. She then waited for her insurance company to inspect the property before beginning to search for a demolition contractor and determine what environmental testing would be required before demolition.
Dorame said the next contact she recalls from the city came in April, when she was told the temporary code enforcement pause would end for flood-impacted residences. By then, she had already received her citation and court summons.
Like the Calderas, she was asked to plead responsible or not responsible. She was told the fees for the violations were in the $1,200 range.
She pleaded “not responsible” and was then given a pretrial conference date on June 22, like the Calderas.
Demolition moves forward
Dorame and the Calderas were given a 90-day extension after showing during their conferences that demolition plans were underway.
They are now receiving assistance from the Salvation Army, which is covering the cost of demolition. DJ's Companies Inc. has been hired to complete the work. At press time, the company was conducting asbestos and other environmental testing required before demolition could begin.
“I know we're not ready for these catastrophes to happen,” Dorame said. “We just didn't have any direction.”
Jepson acknowledged the city has since been told it could have communicated better with affected homeowners, although he said the city announced on numerous occasions that code enforcement would resume in April.
He said he is now working to personally establish direct communication with each household that received citations.
“My neighbors, they are all, each one of them that were there in their homes, are suffering in different ways: emotionally, physically, mentally, financially. They've lost everything and are starting again,” Dorame said. “Isn't there a better way than sending us to court and ticketing us for damage that's been done?”
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