Pubdate: Tue, 08 Mar 2005 Source: Charleston Gazette (WV) Copyright: 2005 Charleston Gazette Contact: http://www.wvgazette.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/77 Note: Does not print out of town letters. Author: Greg Garner Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) S.A. CONSIDERS METH CLEANUP LAW The St. Albans City Council introduced an ordinance Monday night requiring the owners of buildings used as methamphetamine labs to clean them up before renting them out to other tenants. "I think it's an ordinance that council should pass unanimously," Councilman Mac Gray said. "To my knowledge, it is the only ordinance in the state that provides for civil penalties [for not cleaning up meth labs]." Under the new law, if a building is found to have been used as a drug lab, the property owner must keep people away until an environmental consultant cleans and tests the grounds to make sure the premises are safe for human habitation. Property owners also must notify the city of the results of the testing and clean up and provide the city's building inspector with a report. The property owner is responsible for all costs for these procedures. Anyone who allows a former drug lab to be inhabited without first cleaning the site up will face up to a $1,000 fine. Councilman Danny Haught, chairman of the property board, said he was grateful for the new authority and hoped it would help rid the city of drug operations. In other business, Gray said he wanted to quell rumors that the city would sell off its water company. "It seems that every four years or so there's an imaginary 'for sale' sign that goes up on our water company," he said. "Only a majority of the voters of the city of St. Albans can authorize a sale of the water works." Mayor Richard Milam said he had been receiving several phone calls a day from citizens about the possibility of the water company being sold. He said most of these calls were based on rumors and that the issue has never been discussed officially. "Nowhere in the minutes of the municipal utility commission does it say anything about selling the water works," Milam said. "It hasn't been discussed." Council members also announced that voters wanting to register for the upcoming municipal elections have until March 24 to do so. Early voting will be from March 24 to April 9, and the city's primary election will be April 12. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth