MASURY 2 hazards are set for removal from township property

Old trailers on Davis Street in Masury were to be removed this week, a trustee says.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
MASURY -- Robert Pritchett says he'll be a happy man when Brookfield Township hauls away two old trailers parked on township property next door to his home.
Pritchett, of 8063 Davis St., says he's not only confident he'll be able to get insurance coverage on his house, but the township can then resurface the street.
"I've tried to go along with them," said Pritchett, a 56-year-old retired truck driver and heavy equipment operator.
Township Trustee Gary Lees said the township hasn't been able to pull the trailers off the one-acre lot because of heavy rains this summer.
Lees said the township road department has hired someone to get rid of the trailers, a job that would probably be done yet this week.
Pritchett said his homeowner's insurance was canceled shortly after he moved into his ranch home in Masury about 21/2 years ago.
What happened
Pritchett said he lived in another Davis Street home but moved when he got a good deal and bought his current home from relatives.
His previous home, he explained, was insured by Allstate.
When he moved and wanted the insurance transferred to his new house, an Allstate agent inspected his home but said the trailers that are about 6 feet from his property were fire hazards.
About a month later, Pritchett said, Allstate canceled his insurance on the new home and sent him a refund.
He contacted Nationwide Insurance but was rejected; again an agent told him the trailers were fire hazards.
This was at a time when the township didn't own the property.
Lees said the property owner donated the land to the township earlier this month.
The intention of trustees through its comprehensive land-use plan is to turn the lot into a park.
Pressure is on to get rid of the trailers now because Davis Street is scheduled to be resurfaced this year and the township doesn't want the work to tear up the new surface by moving them later.
Since the property was donated, Lees said, the township has removed more than 400 tires from the land.
Juveniles required to perform community service for Trumbull County Family Court took out the tires in one day.
"We're really glad to make the property a lot better," Lees said.
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