Countryside Blight Prompts Nuisance Law Request

For the most part, Mike Makoul thinks his friends and neighbors in are pretty reliable people. Nonetheless, the Zionsville resident asked the Upper Milford Township Board of Supervisors at last night’s meeting to consider adopting a public nuisance ordinance in the township.

Makoul, of 6600 Granville Road, listed conditions at properties like the , which was that happened more than a year ago, among his reasons for coming before the board.

Would you favor a public nuisance ordinance in Upper Milford Township?

“I think the township could benefit from such an ordinance,” he said. “I think the vast majority of residents are responsible people who take pride in their properties.

“But there are places like Countryside that has been vacant for over a year and in need of repair. A public nuisance ordinance would give the township a tool to deal with situations like that,” added Makoul, who said he has lived in Upper Milford Township for three years.

Makoul provided the supervisors with a public nuisance ordinance recently passed in Southampton Township in Franklin County, Pa., as an example of what Upper Milford could do. That ordinance, he said, covers everything from uncut grass to junk vehicles.

“I think it is a balanced ordinance,” he said. “It has provisions for people who might make frivolous complaints. It is a common sense approach and I think it will have support.”

Board of Supervisors Chair Daniel Mohr thanked Makoul and said the board would take the issue under consideration.

After the meeting Makoul said that he brought the Southampton ordinance to the supervisors because Southampton has a similar population size to Upper Milford and is also a rural community.

Dead tall grass remained strewn about the lot of the Countryside Restaurant Thursday evening and a Cityline Construction sign also was posted to the right edge of the building.  The Allentown company specializes in reconstruction and redevelopment of damaged buildings, according to its website. Cityline performed the removal of fire debris this week from the interior, according to township officials.