Corner Brook -
A Corner Brook man has gone so far as remove a city guardrail to access land he is trying to develop in spite of what he says is unfair treatment from city officials.
Joe Lewis has been trying to develop a piece of land he says he inherited from his grandmother on Penway Street, off the upper section of Birchy Cove Drive in the Curling area of Corner Brook. It's the same property he grew up on, before making a career for himself in Alberta for nearly 30 years. He's home now and looking to build a retirement home on a parcel of land.
To do this, Lewis is required to submit engineered designs and specific planning details for the development of the hillside property. It is something he hasn't abided by, despite work he has completed on the property which spans at least a couple of property locations - namely 6 and 12 Penway St.
A stop-work order had been issued in respect to a retaining wall and excavation work at that time. Lewis said he hasn't gotten anywhere close to being able to construct a house, but he has done a significant amount of landscaping.
"Why don't they send their engineers down to check my land out," he said Tuesday, standing on the large mound of fill he has erected as a road. "I can't afford to pay for engineers to come down here. They say my land might not be safe, but this is one of the best pieces of land in Corner Brook."
The city charged him with six offences over a period spanning a couple of days in mid-October. The charges involve repeated counts of carrying out a development without a permit and not complying with a stop-work order.
"Obviously, we are concerned," Paul Barnable, director of community services, said. "We are concerned to the point we issued six charges ... in the past we hoped the actions we took previous, to make him aware of the situation, would prompt him to do it.
"However, he has gone ahead and furthered the work. We had to stop it now before it gets worse."
Apparently it didn't net the result the city staff hoped for. Lewis said he cut out a section of guardrail on Birchy Cove Drive, so he could store a trailer of furniture and a large box full of wood on the property. He said he knew it would land him in some trouble, but he did it anyway.
"I wanted to get this out in the open," he said. "I wanted to get this settled, so I can move on."
The city and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary are both investigating the removal of the guardrail. City staff, under the watchful eye of municipal enforcement officers, replaced the guardrail Monday.
"That guardrail provides a safety function," Barnable said. "For him to go in and just remove a guardrail that was put there for a specific safety purpose, unknown and without any permission from the city, is not the right way to do things."
The director said there doesn't seem to be any immediate threat to public safety, but city staff are continuing to monitor the situation.
Meanwhile, Lewis is preparing to take on a legal battle of his own. He said he is hiring a lawyer to enter into a lawsuit against the city, a neighbour, and a contractor - all pertaining to related issues, he said.
