Nimishillen officials frustrated by fire-damaged house

NIMISHILLEN TWP. ‒ A fire-damaged house in the 4400 block of Eastland Avenue NE is pitting the owner against township officials.

Daryl McGuire, a resident of Canton's southwest section, has received his insurance payment to help him recover from the arson fire of late August.

But township trustees are saying, under state law, they should have received a portion of the insurance payment, which they did not.

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"A small percentage of that money should be sent to that municipality," township Trustee George Kiko said. "And that municipality is the township. It is not money the township keeps. It is money to make sure the house is repaired or demolished. We didn't receive it. It was an error by the insurance company."

What's the next step?

Now township officials are looking at McGuire to clean up what's left, which so far he has not.

"The township wants to get their nose in it," McGuire said. "What gets me about the township is they pick out certain people. I got the money held back. I told George (Kiko) I was holding it back. They want their hands on it. I don't think they need their hands on it."

The State Fire Marshal's Office has ruled the fire in the 11/2-story house was the work of an arsonist.

"If something were to happen, we would have to tear it down," township Trustee Jennifer Leone said. "We can't let it sit. It is pretty bad. The whole top is burned out. It is a priority. Most of the demolitions have been around $20,000. So that would be a fair number. We turned it over to our legal representation. We really didn't get anywhere with the insurance company."

Attempts to contact the Travelers Insurance claims handler were not successful.

"We are going to take legal action to recover some of that money from the insurance company," Kiko said.

Township trustees' attorney in this matter is James Mathews.

"The (insurance) carrier is required to remit it to the township," said Mathews, who also is a Lexington Township trustee. "It is just a deposit that is made to cover the township for their expenses. It is not that the township has an insurance claim. It is basically a security deposit that is made to protect the public."

Auction but no sale so far

There was an auction sale of the house shortly before the fire. But Stark County real estate records still list McGuire as the property owner.

"It hasn't closed," Kiko said. "They never paid for it. He (McGuire) is still the owner."

Township officials are reluctant to hire a demolition company to raze the fire-damaged house. If this occurs, the cost of the demolition would be billed to McGuire on his property tax bill.

"It is a health hazard, a safety issue," township Trustee Donald Keefe said. "We have that option of taking it down and putting it on their tax bill. I would like to see the homeowner do it."

This article originally appeared on The Repository: A fire-damaged house is becoming a source of frustration in Nimishillen Township.