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CITY OF MUSKEGON
MUSKEGON HOUSING BOARD OF APPEALS
MEETING MINUTES
August 7, 2014
5:30 PM
Chairman G. Borgman called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
ATTENDANCE: G. Borgman, B. Turnquist, W. Krick, B. Arthur, E. Simmons, R. Mackie, K.
Kolberg,
ABSENT: None
STAFF: H. Mitchell; D. Renkenberger; Chief J. Lewis; K. Briggs, SAFEbuilt, B.
Dodge, SAFEbuilt
OTHERS: L. Jones, 1676 Pine St; B. Daniels, 944 E. Sextant; M. VanSlooten, 9450
Buchanan, Allendale
MEETING MINUTES:
A motion to approve the regular meeting minutes of July 9, 2014 was made by E. Simmons,
supported by B. Arthur and unanimously approved.
Old Business:
EN130182 – 1780 Jarman Street. Linda Jones, 1676 Pine St. Muskegon, MI 49442. The board
members were provided with the background from the prior meeting updates. At the 6/5/2014
meeting the board members asked that the siding be completed by the end of June, and that Ms.
Jones continue to work with SAFEbuilt on the other repairs provided in the timeline that had been
submitted. The 2013 property taxes were delinquent to the County Treasurer. On July 24, 2014
staff took updated photos showing the progress of the siding at that time, which had not been
completed.
G. Borgman asked L. Jones to update the members with her progress. L. Jones provided updated
photos showing the siding itself was completed with soffit and fascia still needing to be done. She
informed the members that she had encountered some obstacles when installing the siding and
some of the work had to be re-done, which caused delays. E. Simmons asked if the home was a
single or two-unit, and if she was planning to live there when it was complete. L. Jones stated that
it had been a two-unit but she was converting it to a single-family home. Once the repairs were
completed, she would be living there. J. Lewis suggested that if the board was satisfied that Ms.
Jones was meeting the established timeline; she could continue to work with SAFEbuilt and not
need to return to the meetings unless there was a problem with the timeline or if the work wasn’t
being completed. L. Jones stated that the original timeline she had worked out with SAFEbuilt was
no longer feasible due to the siding delays and she needed to update it. K. Briggs stated that the
siding was mostly complete; soffit and fascia needed to be finished.
A motion to accept staff’s recommendation that the applicant need not return to the board unless
ordered by SAFEbuilt, and that she submit a new timeline for the remaining work to be done, was
made by B. Arthur, seconded by R. Mackie and unanimously approved.
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EN140138 – 1153 Pine Street. Brenda Daniels, 944 E Sextant Rd., Muskegon, MI 49441. The
owner previously obtained a permit on 7/17/2014 to replace 8 windows on the front of the house.
B. Daniels contacted staff to see what was needed for this meeting, and H. Mitchell informed her
that the board members wanted an update regarding whether or not the 2013 winter taxes were
paid to the County Treasurer, and a timeline for the repairs needed for the home.
J. Lewis advised the board that the 2013 delinquent taxes had been paid. B. Daniels stated that
doors had been installed and a permit for new windows was obtained. She was working with a
contractor on the porch; who was in the process of getting the porch measurements required for
the permit. K. Briggs stated that the applicant had not contacted him to establish a timeline for
repairs, although they did just set up a meeting this evening. He stressed that it was important to
get the timeline completed. G. Borgman asked K. Briggs what he needed from the HBA. K. Briggs
stated that if the timeline worked, he proposed that the work be re-checked in three months. He
would let H. Mitchell know at that time if further action by the board was needed. B. Daniels asked
if she could remove the postings that were put on the door. H. Mitchell stated that she could
remove the ones that were posted with the blue painters tape. G. Borgman asked Ms. Daniels if
she had any concerns. She stated that two contractors tell her that the siding on the house was
good. W. Krick asked what kind of siding it was. B. Daniels thought that it was aluminum, and said
the contractors told her it was better than what they would have installed. E. Simmons asked staff
what their issue was regarding the siding. K. Briggs stated that some of the siding was missing.
He stated that Ms. Daniels could take some of the siding off the back of the house and put it on the
front so it matched then do the repairs to the siding on the back of the house so it would be less
noticeable. B. Turnquist verified that only the missing siding needed to be repaired, and that not all
of the siding had to be replaced. K. Briggs stated that was correct. G. Borgman asked Ms. Daniels
if she planned to live in the house once repairs were made. She stated that she did. B. Turnquist
asked if it was necessary for Ms. Daniels to return to the meeting each month as long as work
continued. G. Borgman stated that if a satisfactory timeline was set with SAFEbuilt and followed;
then she wouldn’t need to return to the board unless the repairs weren’t being completed. E.
Simmons asked if she had any idea how long the repairs would take. B. Daniels estimated that the
roof repair was three to four weeks out, and she wasn’t sure about the siding. K. Briggs asked B.
Daniels what her timeline would be for the entire project. B. Daniels stated that she would need a
year. B. Turnquist asked if there were any issues with the garage. B. Daniels stated that she
couldn’t do the house and the garage at the same time. K. Briggs stated he couldn’t recall at that
moment the garage.
A motion to table this case and leave it up to staff to meet with the applicant to get a timeline
established with staff was made by R. Mackie, seconded by B. Arthur and unanimously approved.
Dangerous Buildings – New Cases:
EN142887 – 1713 7th Street - VanSlooten Tree Farms, 870 Jefferson #1, Muskegon, MI 49440. A
Notice & Order was issued 6/27/2014. K. Briggs (SAFEbuilt) & M. Metcalf (Fire Marshall) met with
M. VanSlooten to review this property as well as the adjacent property at 1747 7th. M. VanSlooten
would like to save this structure and use the building for storage. Currently the structure has no fire
suppression. The 2012 and 2013 taxes are delinquent to the County Treasurer.
M. VanSlooten stated that he had gotten a quote to do the needed fire suppression system work,
and it was a ballpark figure of $40,000 to $80,000 depending on many things. He described what
was found and the process of what was looked at for the fire suppression issue. Other areas of the
building would also need fire suppression that didn’t have it before because those areas had been
the foundry areas. He stated that he was not involved with this building until very recently when his
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father passed away, and he was still in the process of getting the estate and related paperwork
straightened out. He had been working on getting the building and grounds cleaned up and had
removed a lot of debris already. He had been filling two yard dumpsters every week with personal
items that had been stored there that no one ever came to remove. He described what was stored
where and that they do not plan on doing personal items but mainly sticking with watercrafts, cars,
etc. He is working on getting the funding with the bank to try to get this completed. They have
applied for the superintending control for 1747 7th. 1713 7th has more potential than the other one.
He asked if there was a defect list for the building. K. Briggs stated that there was not, but that he
and the Fire Marshall had walked through the building with M. VanSlooten and pointed out the
problems. G. Borgman asked Mr. VanSlooten if he had obtained an estimate of the total cost to get
the building up to code, and stated that he should really make sure the entire project was feasible
before he spent too much money on the fire suppression work. M. VanSlooten stated that he had
not. He hadn’t had a chance to talk to contractors. He had some stuff from two years ago but they
are different quotes. He described some of the items that needed to be done. There are some
things he could do himself, but not all of it as it would also need an engineer and architect to look
at what needs to be done. G. Borgman suggested making sure to look at everything as he wouldn’t
want him to put in the fire suppression and then find out it would be more costly than expected to
complete the project. M. VanSlooten described what would be needed as the original fire
suppression water lines had been through the portion of the building where the roof had caved in.
He described what would be needed in order to move the fire suppression water lines to the other
portion of the building as the entry point. B. Turnquist stated that Mr. VanSlooten had spoken
before the City Commission previously, and asked what buildings they intended to save. M.
VanSlooten pointed out the buildings on a map and which one was the worse one. He stated that
he had spoken with Melching about demolishing portions of the structures, and there were some
asbestos issues and it would cost about $25,000 to remove the bad portion of the building. He
described what was good and what needed removal or repair for each of the structures. He stated
it would cost $100,000 or more to demolish all of it. G. Borgman asked about the delinquent taxes.
M. VanSlooten stated that he was currently working with the bank to try and obtain loans to take
care of those issues, but he estimated that it could take a year and a half to get things done. W.
Krick suggested having the applicant return next month with a timeline for repairs, and proof that
delinquent taxes have been paid. M. VanSlooten stated it would be difficult to do as the IRS is
taking money out of their accounts quickly. J. Lewis stated that tax foreclosure was imminent since
it was approaching three years of delinquent taxes, and that posed a problem. He did not want to
see Mr. VanSlooten invest a lot of money in the property, only to have it foreclosed on for back
taxes. He asked if M. VanSlooten had any definite timeline in mind. M. VanSlooten stated that he
did not, as he had many things going on at the moment with the estate and he had not yet had time
to devote to this project. Discussion with M. VanSlooten and the board members continued in
regards to the taxes and not wanting him to put money into repairs and then lose it to the taxes
instead. H. Mitchell stated that the 2012 taxes had to be paid by March 31, 2015 in order to avoid
foreclosure. B. Dodge stated that he is a neighbor to this property and would recommend that the
members give the owner 30 days to get an architect in to help him.
A motion was made by K. Kolberg and seconded by W. Krick to have the applicant meet with
SAFEbuilt to set up a timeline for repairs and to have an architect inspect the premises and provide
an estimate of the amount of money it would take to get the building repairs completed with
discussion continuing.
M. VanSlooten stated that he was not able to retain an architect without any money. B. Turnquist
asked M. VanSlooten how much time he thought he would need to determine if this would be a
wise investment or what he can or cannot do. M. VanSlooten stated it would take a couple of
months to be able to sit down with contractors and see what needs to be done. B. Arthur stated
that it would be very difficult to get an architect there within a month, as they were very busy this
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time of year. G. Borgman asked if the motion should be amended to table the case until the
October meeting, and K. Kolberg and W. Krick concurred. A vote was taken on the motion to table
this case until the October meeting to give the applicant time to meet with SAFEbuilt to set up a
timeline for repairs, and for the applicant to obtain an estimate for the building repairs. The motion
passed, with E. Simmons voting nay.
EN142989 – 703 Amity Ave. -_Chris Guzman, 695 W Southern, Muskegon, MI 49441. This
property had been before the board in 2012 under a different owner, and had been declared a
dangerous building at that time. The current owner was aware of this and had been in contact with
SAFEbuilt in 2013. A list and timeline for repairs had been submitted in 2013. No permits had been
obtained. Due to the time lapse, the City Attorney recommended starting the process over. A
Notice & Order was sent out on June 27, 2014. There has been no contact with the owner. The
2012 & 2013 taxes are delinquent to the County Treasurer.
The owner or a representative was not present at the meeting. A motion to declare the structure
substandard, dangerous and a public nuisance was made by R. Mackie, seconded by W. Krick,
and unanimously approved.
EN142989 – 717 Amity Ave. -Joe & Kimberly Trevino, 791 W Forest, Muskegon, MI 49441. This
property had been before the board in 2012 and had been declared a dangerous building at that
time. There had been a different owner. The current owner was aware of this and had been in
contact with SAFEbuilt in 2013. They had obtained a permit to upgrade the electrical service; but
no inspections were scheduled and it didn’t appear that any work had been done. The permit
expired July 12, 2014. A list and timeline for repairs had been submitted in 2013 with nothing being
completed. Due to the time lapse, the City Attorney recommended starting the process over. A
Notice & Order was sent out June 27, 2014.There has been no contact with the owner. The 2012 &
2013 taxes are delinquent to the County Treasurer.
The certified letter sent by the City to the owner was unclaimed, and the owner or a representative
was not present at the meeting. A motion to declare the structure substandard, dangerous and a
public nuisance was made by R. Mackie, seconded by E. Simmons, and unanimously approved.
EN140415 – 430 Langley – Michael C. Unger Jr., 2011 Maryland, Muskegon, MI 49441. In June
of 2013, a tree fell on this home. There have been no permits obtained to fix the damage and since
then, there has been a tarp on the home’s roof. A tarp is now covering the front of the home as
well. A Notice & Order was sent out July 7, 2014 with no contact from the owner being made. The
2012 & 2013 taxes are delinquent to the County Treasurer.
The owner or a representative was not present at the meeting. A motion to declare the structure
substandard, dangerous and a public nuisance was made by K. Kolberg, seconded by R. Mackie,
and unanimously approved.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:25 p.m.
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