Rubble from April blaze clutters Gobles

GOBLES, Mich. (WOOD) - There is a big mess in the little town of Gobles, and the folks that have to deal with it are not very happy.

The problem is the mess left over from the April fire that destroyed three downtown buildings. About all that's left standing is a wall and a few stairways in the Van Buren County community. There are still piles and piles of debris.

Gobles Mayor Carol Johnson said there have been some problems between owner Jan Wescott and her insurance company. The bottom line is that no one is writing a check to clean the mess up.

24 Hour News 8 could not get in contact with Wescott.

The mayor said the City can't afford the estimated $78,000 to clean it up even if they put a lien on the property.

"It's disgusting. It's gross and it's an embarrassment," said Erin Phillips, whose family owns nearby Murawski's Pub.

Neighbors say the burned piles of rubble have already hurt their business and the town's reputation.

"We've lost income from it," said Phillips. "People don't want to come in here, especially in the summer. It smelled. We had crews that cleaned up everything. We had new insulation put in because it's unbearable in the summer heat."

The mayor is fed up. The neighbors are fed up. Now, they're working to do something about it. The City has a court date later this month to ask a judge to force Wescott to clear the site.

A fence surrounding the site, the only thing keeping people out of the burned-out wreckage, may be going away.

Mayor Johnson said the fence is a rental, and just like the money for cleanup, there apparently isn't any left to pay the fee. The fence could come down any day.

Phillips said she is worried about safety if the fence comes down. She said it would would be easy for children or animals to wander into the wreckage and get hurt.

She, like many in Gobles, hopes the court will side with the City and force a cleanup.