Glen Korstrom
Northern News Services

NNSL (Aug 20/99) - City council has upheld a clean-up order for a trailer construction site because it deemed the property "unsightly."

It also granted property owner Luman Marianayagam an extension until Sept. 10 to clean up his property and adjoining city land at the back of his yard.

"Quite frankly, I'm tired of the amount of harassment I'm subject to," Marianayagam told council.

"(I can clean up the site) if I'm left alone by municipal enforcement."

Marianayagam appeared before city council Aug. 16 and stressed his property was much cleaner than it was when municipal enforcement officers took photos in June.

Still, he said he would probably need until the end of September to get the property looking tidy.

Neighbours first complained to the city on June 10 and during the next two weeks enforcement officers inspected the site several times.

They then issued Marianayagam with a courtesy letter to clean up the premises.

On July 14 enforcement officers visited the site again and took more photos after noting how the site did not appear to be any tidier.

Municipal enforcement issued a clean-up order the next day. Marianayagam appealed the order, prompting council's review of it.

Marianayagam told council the property was in some disarray because he was building additions to his trailer.

Marianayagam worked putting on some siding so he argued that he had made headway removing some of the mess by building with it.

But despite municipal enforcement deeming no substantial clean-up had taken place, one neighbour is softening her anger at the state of a trailer across the street.

"I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and a grace period," said neighbour Terry Boldt who lives across the street and whose groomed property was part of a recent garden tour.

"If he wants help to clean up the property I'm sure all the neighbours here would volunteer a few hours so we could help him clean it up."

Marianayagam's appeal is the first appeal of a clean-up order council has dealt with.

Council will now issue Marianayagam with a ticket he can appeal in justice of the peace court, according to city clerk Tim Mercer.