Failure 'imminent' on West Perth Bay slope. City will fix it (5 council briefs)

Backyard erosion at 52 West Perth Bay was caused by placement of fill at the top of the ravine, City Council was told tonight.

Freddie Pozzebon, the city's chief building official and property standards officer, said an engineer who studied the site concluded that "failure was imminent and it could impact on neighbouring properties."

Pozzebon persuaded councillors to spend $165,000 to fix the problem, even though the house and property are worth less than that.

The cost of repairing the slope will be added to the property's tax bill.

Ward 3 Councillor Matthew Shoemaker asked whether the city would recover the full amount if the property is sold,

City Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Shelley Schell responded that the property's assessed value is slightly below $165,000.

As SooToday reported earlier today, the property owner was ordered, on Aug. 23, to complete remedial work on the slope.

The owner appealed to the property standards committee, which upheld the order.

Brandon Nevers, son of property owner Marie Nevers, appeared before City Council tonight.

Nevers said the stability of the slope was questioned 40 years ago.

He asked why the city approved a building permit there.

Pozzebon said the slope started deteriorating in April 2016.

He didn't know whether trees had been removed from the property.

"The work has to be done," Nevers said. "It's 12 feet from the back of the house and it's straight down. It's a drop-off."

Nevers pointed out that $165,000 is a considerable amount of money and asked whether the city might agree to alternative terms.

Mayor Provenzano said all parties agree that immediate action must be taken to stabilize the slope but he encouraged Nevers to have his lawyer make an offer.

Other news from tonight's City Council meeting:

• Ward 1 Councillor Paul Christian announced that the Bellevue Park splash pad proposal garnered more than 37,000 thousand votes in the Aviva Community Fund competition. "It was an overwhelming success," Councillor Christian said. We'll find out Nov. 1 whether our project will proceed to the second round of the contest.
• Go-getter rookie Ward 3 Councillor Matthew Shoemaker has passed the 100-resolution mark. Councillors approved his latest idea tonight: directing staff to develop a new smartphone app to provide information on city services, maps of heritage properties and possibly a walking tour. 
• The Community Recognition Award was presented to Brian Wilson, recognizing his 50 years of behind-the-scenes voluntarism in the performing arts. Wilson has presided over the acquisition and installation of more than $2 million in technical upgrades at Kiwanis Community Theatre Centre. He's also credited with a financial turnaround that many people think saved the Art Gallery of Algoma.
• Mayor-for-a-Day Keira Berlingieri proclaimed fireworks every month and free flowers and international food for all. The Grade 5 student from the new St. Basil Elementary School was chosen over 120 other totally awesome students in a contest sponsored by Rotary Club of Sault Ste. Marie North. Keira was far nicer than Mayor Provenzano and didn't cut off any of the council members when they talked too much about boring council stuff. Mayor-for-a-Day Berlingieri gave carnations to all the city councillors. Mayor Provenzano never brings them flowers. The council members really liked Mayor-for-a-Day Berlingieri!