Harbour Grace council hoping to remove dilapidated buildings

By Alexandra Brothers, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter / August 18, 2023 Edition

Harbour Grace council is hoping to make headway with some of its longstanding beautification goals. That includes getting rid of a crumbling building located at 1 Harvey Street.

“We want to get this building dealt with as we move forward for development in our heritage zone in downtown Harbour Grace and other developments in the area that are a concern to other people,” said Mayor Don Coombs.

More than being an eyesore to the community, the dilapidated buildings can cause security risks for the town. Coombs said these safety concerns can hopefully help expedite the process of getting the buildings removed, which has been a slow process so far.

The Town plans to meet with the Fire Commissioner’s Office to have the Harvey Street property assessed and inspected to help determine the next steps that will need to be taken to remove the building.

The Town is also hoping that Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador can come up with a way for towns to more easily attain liens on dilapidated properties so that they may be dealt with. Coombs said he hopes the upcoming MNL conference will present the chance for some resolution on the matter. According to Coombs, discussions on attaining liens on such buildings could benefit not only the Town of Harbour Grace, but “every town in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.”

“We are exploring every avenue that we can with regard to dilapidation within our town,” said housing, environment, and sanitation committee chairman, councillor Brendan Chafe. “We want to have our town cleaned up and it’s something that everyone should take pride in, as opposed to letting stuff go to the wayside.”