Two residents of Jeanne Lane, off of Reed Avenue, approached Summit Township Supervisors, during the August meeting, in order to complain about the condition of a neighbor's property.

The plot in question is owned by a Mrs. Flanders and is located toward the end of the lane. It's in deplorable condition, according to supervisors and the residents who came forward.

There are several issues concerning the property, including the dilapidated nature of the house, the overgrown yard and an abandoned vehicle that is parked in the driveway.

One of the neighbors in attendance stated that she had spotted wild animals, such as skunks, raccoons, groundhogs, etc., on the land and said she was afraid to go for walks near the area because of this.

The other citizen imparted to supervisors that there is a horrible odor emitting from the region in general. She also mentioned an overabundance of flies, due to the unkempt nature of the property.

Because of the above mentioned problems, she said she really didn't feel comfortable using her own yard.

One of the ladies had talked to Mrs. Flanders two days prior to the meeting and was told that loan payments, for the home, are being made to a bank. She said she asked Flanders why she was doing that since the house was condemned. Flanders told her that the reason for the payments was due to a threat of legal action from the bank.

She also said that Flanders is making monthly installments at the court house for the taxes. The resident said that Flanders told her that the property is valuable, and that's why she is keeping up with the monetary end of things. She went on to impart to the neighbor that once the house is torn down, the property would be worth something.

Both women asked supervisors if anything could be done about the situation and one stated that if this had taken place in Meadville, for example, the homeowner would have been fined.

Township Solicitor William Walker said that the township does have a property maintenance code.

He said that the township is aware of the situation and they have been working on it for some time. One of the issues, legally speaking, is that Flanders keeps up with the taxes. He has spoken directly with her lawyer in the past and said that he really didn't add much to the conversation or have any ideas.

Walker stated that he had talked to Flanders on several occasions and she tended to become emotional during the conversations.

The one neighbor asked if there was some sort of time frame in terms of tearing the house down. She said she was under the impression that once something is condemned, it falls under a certain time period for removal.

Walker said that it had been requested that Flanders tear the house down but, he didn't think she would ever do it.

The one resident spoke up and told Walker that when she had talked to Flanders recently, she was told that if she could find someone to do the work, she would take the house down.

Both ladies asked, as a bottom line, what could be done. Walker threw out several ideas, one of which was to have her deed the property to the township.

“You could get rid of the debris and then sell the property and try to recover your money. That would be one option...,” Walker told supervisors.

He noted that because the bank is getting paid, they aren't so keen on getting back to him when he calls them about this issue.

Another suggestion was to file with the district justice and fine her. He said that would be a good place to start but, it ultimately wouldn't get the mess cleaned up.

After quite a bit of discussion with more ideas being bantered about and more descriptions of the unsightly area, a motion was finally made.