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Complaint targets former pool
Friday, June 22, 2012
By PAUL COLLINS - Bulletin Staff Writer
A complaint has been filed concerning the former Druid Hills pool on Indian Trail regarding high grass/weeds and standing water contributing to the breeding of mosquitoes, said Ted Anderson, Martinsville fire marshal/building official.
The city generally handles property maintenance cases in the order in which complaints are filed, and since the department is short-staffed and there is a backlog of cases, it may be weeks before the city can handle this case, according to Anderson and previous information from his office.
“As far as I know,” the city has sent out a letter about the violations, he said.
He said the high grass/weeds will have to be taken care of and the standing water drained or treated.
Anderson said information is not given out on who filed the complaint. But he has said a complaint is needed before the city can take action on a property.
The pool closed in 2007.
Dallas Hairston, assistant real estate assessor for the city, said the property is owned by Forest Hills Recreation Enterprises Inc., P.O. Box 3443, Martinsville.
According to the State Corporation Commission, Forest Hills Recreation Enterprises was terminated as a corporation in 2007. Craig Dietrich was listed as president of that group on the last annual report filed with the SCC, according to SCC records.
Dietrich, who could not be reached for comment recently, said in an interview in 2010 he was at that time just an interested party.
In a previous interview, Dietrich attributed the pool closing to such things as lack of money with the decline of Martinsville, an aging population in that area and fewer young people. His understanding, he said then, was that the pool closed because there was not enough money to pay for such things as lifeguards, water and chemicals.
Ron Epperly, who records had shown at one point was treasurer of Forest Hills Recreation Enterprises Inc., also could not be reached for comment.
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