Town will challenge court decision over abandoned factory

The owner of a former tannery in Cobourg will face another round in court after town council decided last night to challenge a decision allowing the old buildings to remain standing and in disrepair.
The town deems the buildings on Alice Street to be unsafe and seek to have owner Richard Beasley to either repair or demolish the buildings. The town took Beasely to court after orders to do the work were issued in April 2004. Originally, it only asked the buildings be repaired. However, the town was forced to re-issue new orders seeking either repair or demolition.
Beasley said, in a published interview, he was not given enough time to comply. He also complained the orders were vague.
The town is right to go after Beasley. And, while he may feel there is not enough time or the orders were not clear, it is no excuse. These building represent a hazard both as an environmental concern and as a safety concern. Wayward individuals could easily light a fire that could threaten many heritage homes in the downtown. This is one of the oldest factories in Cobourg and presents a real danger.
Sadly, it is another example of an irresponsible businessman who is trying to get out of fulfilling his duties because he doesn't either have the money or he doesn't want to spend money. He has not paid his taxes and hopes the town will take over the lands and sell them for failure to pay.
Taxpayers' money is being wasted fighting this in court and coughed up all the money for staff time and lawyer's fees. The public should know the final bill and whether or not Beasely is going to be fined to reimburse the town. If not, it sends a bad message that the public purse is going to support bad business practices.