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Town Deals With Abandoned, Tornado-Ravaged Homes

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Sep 13, 2008 4:15 pm US/Mountain

Town Deals With Abandoned, Tornado-Ravaged Homes

WINDSOR, Colo. ( (AP) ― Windsor continues to rebuild after the tornado that devastated sections of the northern Colorado town, but many badly damaged homes remain.

Little or no work is being done on roughly a quarter of the 407 homes deemed uninhabitable or in need of repairs after the May 22 tornado. Owners haven't obtained permits to rebuild or repair the buildings.

Town Manager Kelly Arnold said privacy laws make it tough for his staff to find the owners. Code enforcement officers have knocked on doors and the town has sent letters and made phone calls.

Four of the homes are in foreclosure.

Town officials are exploring what to do as winter approaches.

"I'm really torn. If I'd lost my house, and I'm underinsured, I can understand why it's taking so long," town board member Jon Slater said. "But it's also a safety hazard. The first time someone is in there and a wall falls, someone is going to get hurt. We have to do something."

Some of the suggestions are:

--Do nothing. The town has no legal obligation to do anything and could not be held responsible for an accident.

--Make repairs to eliminate hazards and place liens on the properties for reimbursement.

--Buy the properties, repair and sell them.

--Team with the Windsor Housing Authority to repair and buy properties to make affordable housing available.

Arnold will take another month to consider plans and give people more time to respond.

A storm struck northern Colorado, creating at least on tornado that touched down near Platteville about 50 miles north of Denver and skipped along a 35-mile stretch past Gilcrest, Milliken, Greeley, Windsor and Timnath.

One person died when the storm hit a campground west of Greeley.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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