Article
Courtesy of The Sun Sentinel By Joe
Kollin
Published July 7, 2007
PEMBROKE PINES
-- The turmoil over townhouse termites has ended.
Marcia Rosenberg's five neighbors in the Cedarwood community have agreed
to allow their building to be tented. And the city will drop the charge
accusing Rosenberg of violating state law for not getting the termites out
of her home.
"We settled it," Rosenberg's attorney, Melvyn Trute, said
Friday.
"I'll believe it when I see the tent on my house," said
Rosenberg.
Told tenting was the only way to get rid of her infestation, Rosenberg
unsuccessfully tried for more than a year to get her neighbors to leave
for a weekend. Early this year she sought advice from the city's building
official, Sanford Laguna, who then was forced to charge her with violating
the state residential building code.
The state code requires local building officials order owners take all
"necessary measures" to get rid of termites within 60 days.
When she couldn't comply, Rosenberg was ordered to appear before the
city's special master for code enforcement, who could fine her up to $250
a day. On June 28, he told Rosenberg to file a lawsuit to force her
neighbors to evacuate the building so it could be tented.
But the neighbors met Thursday night and agreed to leave during a coming
weekend. Trute said only Rosenberg's unit will be tented but the neighbors
must leave because gas could seep through the walls.
He said all the neighbors agreed to sign a consent form and none will be
allowed to return until tests show the gas is gone from their units.
Trute, of Bay Harbor Islands, said Rosenberg voluntarily agreed to hire a
security service to protect the townhouses during the weekend of the
tenting. He said neighbors didn't ask for reimbursement for their costs
but Rosenberg has offered them an allowance for food while they are away
from home.
Laguna said that after the townhouse is fumigated he will
"absolutely" recommend Special Master Eugene Steinfeld drop the
charge against Rosenberg.
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