Latest news with #CodeEnforcementDepartment
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Beckley Fire Department to relaunch enforcement of certificates of occupancy
BECKLEY — A renewed initiative at the Beckley Fire Prevention Bureau aims to prevent future tragedies and ensure all businesses meet modern safety standards. While commercial businesses in Beckley have long been required to have a Certificate of Occupancy, Beckley Fire Marshal Christopher R. Graham said the bureau is getting ready to 'begin actively enforcing' the city's code. Graham has prepared a letter he is going to give business owners that explains why having an up-to-date Certificate of Occupancy is important. 'This effort is aimed at ensuring the health and safety of all individuals who live in or visit buildings open to the public,' states the letter. 'A lot of times, people just get busy. Life happens, and they've been [busy], it's not been, they've not gotten one,' Graham said. 'So we really want to try and go back and make sure, hey, everybody has one.' Graham works in tandem with Capt. Donald Morgan in the city's Code Enforcement Department to ensure commercial buildings are safe. Graham conducts inspections, but so does Morgan. 'Where I'm fire marshal, we will do an inspection, check if it needs a fire alarm or fire extinguishers, make sure the exit emergency lighting is ready,' Graham said. Then, the baton is passed to Code Enforcement. 'Code Enforcement comes in and they make sure the building is structurally sound — the electrical, the plumbing, items like that — are correct,' Graham continued. 'So, it's kind of a team effort to make sure the buildings are safe before the public can go into them or they're occupied by employees.' When asked if there was a recent incident in the city that sparked the new initiative, Graham said he wanted to remain positive. By issuing the letter and conducting a fairly public campaign to inform commercial business owners, Graham said his hope is that people will come forward and ask for a free inspection from him and Morgan. 'We want to enforce it. We're going to give people time,' Graham said. Graham said that if a safety issue is identified during an investigation, they can give the business owner enough time to correct the issue before issuing a citation. 'Then we say, hey, hold up. We need to address this before we can open,' he said. 'Our goal is not to shut anybody down or hinder anyone from having a business. But these items need to be checked to make sure that it's safe to open.' However, in the event a business does not comply once a safety issue is identified regarding electrical, plumbing and structural components of a business, there is an enforcement component of Beckley City Code they can use. Fines for noncompliance run $10-$300. 'Now that part is new,' Graham said. 'And before we would just go and say, 'Hey, can you do this?' 'Hey, can you do this?' But now we can actually run it through court, and they can explain to the judge why they're not doing it, maybe, or something like that. And those are usually extreme circumstances.' Graham said that 90-95% of the time, business owners comply because they have made such a huge investment and want to own and operate their business. 'After a reasonable correction period, if violations remain unresolved, a citation may be issued, requiring the owner or occupant to appear before the Municipal Court, where additional fines may be imposed,' states the letter. But Graham said he hopes businesses come forward and few fines have to be levied. He also hopes his phone starts ringing so he can schedule more free business safety inspections and get more Certificates of Occupancy completed. 'Our goal is not to hurt anybody or cost them a lot of money,' Graham said. 'We just really want to make the building safe and bring them up to code.'
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Local bookstore may be fined for letting unhouse people sleep in parking lot
Apr. 27—A local bookstore is facing an administrative hearing with the Code Enforcement Department on Monday after repeated violations from the City of Albuquerque for allowing unhoused people to congregate and sleep in the store's parking lot. Gillam Kerley, owner of Quirky Books, at 120 Jefferson NE, has allowed homeless people to sleep in the parking lot for over a year and a half and says he felt he had a responsibility to offer people a safe place to sleep at night, even though the city has issued the bookstore numerous notices of violations of the zoning code. Currently, the parking lot is home to 18 people between 12 tents. "We think it's important to be treating unhoused people as human beings," Kerley said. "We've gotten to know the people in our parking lot, and we want those people and their property to be safe." On Monday, Kerley and the bookstore will face an administrative civil enforcement hearing, where they will possibly face consequences for zoning violations. The city has the option to administer fines on the store and issue an order that requires Quirky Books to remove the homeless people from the parking lot. The city's Planning Department didn't comment on the hearing last week. Mayor Tim Keller's administration has had a large focus on unhoused people, from increased encampment sweeps to the unveiling of its newest policy: Safe Outdoor Spaces, which are organized, managed camps where people who are homeless can sleep overnight in tents or vehicles. Albuquerque's Point in Time count in 2024 determined there were 2,749 people experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque, which marked a 14% increase from the year before. But advocates for homeless people have said the number could be higher. . When asked how his administration reconciles its desire to shutter Quirky Book's efforts with its call for more Safe Open Spaces volunteers, Keller said there are lots of options for people to help and for people to get help. "We want to offer all of those options," Keller told the Journal in an interview. "That's why ... we announced that we're totally open to Safe Outdoor Spaces." But he said it's important for people to go through the official channels. "We want more folks to apply to host (Safe Outdoor Spaces)," Keller said, "It can be a book store. They just have to apply." In a statement posted on the store's Instagram page, the bookstore urged citizens to attend the hearing to "ensure that the Keller administration and the City's hearing officers know the community is watching and supports our right to assist our unhoused neighbors". "What's happening right now is that the city's increasing sweeps of encampments and the criminalization of homelessness on public property means that private property owned by someone who is willing to allow them to camp is really the only place they and their property are safe from the city," Kerley said. "From a public policy standpoint, it's better to have them camping on our property, where they're welcome, than being in parks and sidewalks where they're maybe not welcome or may be interfering with other people's use of those properties." However, one man's good deed may be another's nuisance. Jude Brunner, a manager at the Firestone Complete Auto Care store just around the corner from Quirky Books, said the unhoused people use the bathroom near the store, causing it to smell of feces and urine. He said the company spoke to city officials about the issues in the area. "They walk through our parking lot all day long and a lot of the times," Brunner said. "They kind of scare away customers as well because customers leave their cars here with us, and sometimes we don't have enough room in the shop to lock them all up, so it's the risk — that's the biggest thing." He added that other building tenants in the area, like marijuana dispensary Score 420 Nob Hill and two other shops, also raised issues about the unhoused people traversing the area. "The businesses nearby would prefer that we not be doing this," Kerley said. Though all the businesses noticed an uptick in unhoused people in the area, Kerley said that shift may have also come from encampment sweeps that have shifted where unhoused people settle every night. "The New Mexico Constitution guarantees everyone a right to seek and obtain safety and the right to their property,"Kerley said, "and we are enabling the unhoused people on our parking lot to secure these rights under the Constitution." Journal staff reporter Justin Garcia contributed to this report.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Augusta enforces laws on illegal signs, warns of penalties
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – The Augusta Government is acting against the unauthorized placement of signs on public property, utility poles, medians, and rights-of-way. Residents and businesses are reminded that illegal sign postings are not only unsightly but also violate city ordinances that could result in serious penalties. It is illegal to place private signs in the right of way or on a utility pole. This includes advertisements, event promotions, and business signage. Violators could be subject to 60 days in jail, a $1000 fine and the probation, suspension, or revocation of their business license. 'Our goal is to maintain the beauty and safety of our city while ensuring compliance with local laws,' said Tameka Allen, City Administrator of Augusta. 'Illegal signs create visual clutter, distract drivers, and can obstruct pedestrians. We are committed to enforcing regulations to keep our community clean and orderly.' Augusta's Code Enforcement Department will be actively monitoring for violations, and illegally posted signs will be removed. Businesses and individuals are encouraged to use approved methods for advertising, such as permitted signage and designated community boards. Residents who wish to report illegal sign postings may do so by calling 311 or via the MyAugusta 311 app. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
