Handy Board Begins Work to Burn Down Derelict HomeHandy Board Begins Work to Burn Down Derelict Home

7/10/13 - The Handy Township Board approved paying for an asbestos inspection of a derelict house as a prelude to burning it down. The building sits on a 20-acre property at the corner of Grand River and Nicholson Road and was once both a home and a florist shop. The township purchased it at tax sale with the goal of reselling it at a profit, but the house is too blighted to be occupied. The township’s insurance carrier has determined that it will no longer insure the building, which is deemed too great a liability, and so the township must now destroy it. The township board has gotten bids on removing the house, but that option is prohibitively expensive. Instead, it is working with the Fowlerville Area Fire Department to perform a controlled training burn at the home. In order to do that the township must get permission from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Getting the okay from the DEQ will require an inspection of the site to make sure it does not contain asbestos, and last night the township board approved spending up to $2,000 on such an inspection. Supervisor Hank Vaupel says the township does not know if asbestos is present in the home, but given its age that certainly is a possibility. The township hopes to have the home inspected within two weeks, and if asbestos is found the board will have to spend more money to remove it prior to the burn. (TD)