Saint John on track to nearly double demolitions in 2017
As is often the case with vacant buildings in Saint John, the story of 26 Cedar St. is rooted in personal misfortune,
Neighbours say the family living there, a woman and her two young daughters, simply walked out one day, taking only what they could carry.
Left behind were the furniture, kitchenware and colouring books.
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"When she first moved out, this really wasn't that bad," said neighbour Bill Lindsay. "But nobody shut the water off or nothing."
Over the next four years, weeds and bushes grew up around the building, and raccoons took up residence inside.
Lindsay and another neighbour tried to keep an eye on the place, but he found it a losing battle.
Finally, last Christmas, the waterline burst, flooding the house and buckling its floors.
Today, large mushrooms can be seen growing on an inside wall.
At some point in the next the next week or two contractors hired by the city will arrive to demolish the house, along with another vacant one a few kilometres away on Sandy Point Road.
They will be the ninth and 10th buildings knocked down by the city this year.
Another 13 homes have been demolished by their owners.
The city has even hired a staff person to work full time on the demolition file, mostly trying to track down owners and clear the way for the excavators.
At this pace the number of demolitions in 2017 will nearly double the average over the four previous years.
Coun. Gerry Lowe believes it's not enough.
"It's catch-up, which is nearly impossible to do," Lowe said. "I would probably think as many as two or three times as many come on as we take down."
Lowe said more owners have to be encouraged to take down dilapidated buildings on their own and make the lots available for development.
He pointed to a seven-unit building at 224 Duke St., where an official notice to comply has been taped to the front door.
The Ward 3 councillor expects the building will be approved for demolition this fall.
Neighbour Judy Fanjoy said she'll miss it.
She lived for a time in one of its apartments.
"It was beautiful, I loved it there, it was laid out just perfect."
Today the building is registered to two Vancouver-area men, and the only sign of activity is of the wildlife sort.
"There's pigeons living there, there's raccoons living in there," Fanjoy said. "There's cats, stray cats, kittens, you name it."
