Crumbling homes, piles of debris and unkept properties. Is this what you picture when you think of Orion Township?
With a recent appointment for the new position of code official, township trustees hope to remedy the situation on Baldwin Road, where several homes sit abandoned.
Building Official Tom Berger was appointed to the new position, to help the township deal with issues such as abandoned houses in a more efficient manner.
Berger was appointed at the board’s Feb. 21 meeting, and Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk thinks the appointment will make a big difference.
Dywasuk mentioned specifically two homes on Baldwin Road, just north of Brown Road, as a prime example.
‘As soon as we get a call or a letter, we investigate,? he said.
‘This process takes a long time and we have to do things in the right manner,? Dywasuk added. ‘This new position will help speed that process up.?
As code official, Dywasuk said that Berger will have the power to appoint others in the department to look into certain cases, such as the Baldwin properties.
‘It was our understanding that the property owners were going to take them down,? Dywasuk said.
But after no action was taken, he said the township had no choice but to get moving on the issue.
‘We’re starting to get more complaints,? he said.
Mike Wagner, who owns Help-U-Sell Realty and occupies the building south of the two in question on Baldwin, said something needs to be done.
‘When you drive into Lake Orion (on Baldwin), you see this ugliness on the right side,? he said. ‘They’re kind of an eyesore.?
While Wagner admits the process is going rather slowly, he still has confidence in the township.
He recalled a similar situation near his own home at Baldwin and Maybee, where action on two old houses was taking a bit too long.
‘Once the green light was given, it took no time at all for the township to knock them down,? Wagner said.
‘I have a lot of faith in Berger and his team over there,? he added.
Wagner said his biggest concern was the overgrown pine trees that made his building harder to see.
He also noted that the township could be getting into a tricky situation with regards to judging what should be torn down and what shouldn’t.
‘Sooner or later they’ll have to tear them all down,? Wagner said of the block.