LIBERTY — Officials are looking to take a “wait and see” approach with action on an abandoned commercial property that a resident previously suggested presents a desolate view of the community.

During the public comments portion of last week’s meeting, officials heard from Steve Stoyak, who said he was following up on a conversation he had with Melissa Ritchie, the township’s zoning inspector.

Stoyak was referring to the Tibbetts Wick Road gas station property, which he first brought to officials’ attention during an April 2025 meeting.

He recalled a November meeting, where Ritchie noted 13 violations of the township’s zoning code and a sentence calling the building “visibly, in very poor condition, a nuisance to the community and needs to be completely torn down.”

“When she spoke about that, she said she had contact with the principal owner,” Stoyak said.

Ritchie said the owners were not going to demolish it at that time, adding that they were still in discussions with a civil engineer.

“I have to take his word for it — they’ve removed the furniture, they’ve cleaned up a little, you know, everything I’ve asked other than the actual structure itself,” Ritchie said.

Stoyak noted officials were holding a hearing on a Fifth Avenue property to require its owner to clean it up, and officials confirmed a hearing was scheduled for the next day.

Stoyak questioned why officials couldn’t do something similar for the Tibbetts Wick property, to get it resolved in a week rather than at someone’s will — that may or may not happen in the future.

Law Director Cherry Poteet said the hearing happening the next day was happening under two different zoning codes, which relate to junk vehicles and property exterior.

“The gas station that you’re referring to, it’s not a demolitionable property; it’s not attractive, but it’s not falling down. It’s not a safety hazard,” Poteet said. “It’s a commercial building, not a house, so it doesn’t matter whether or not it’s habitable, so that has more restrictions that can be done.

“It’s difficult to order a building torn down when it’s not a danger, it’s merely unattractive,” she added.

Trustee Arnie Clebone said the building’s state isn’t something officials could consider junk, based on the ordinance, but also asked when it would be appropriate to start issuing fines on the gas station’s owner, as it could motivate him to take quicker action.

“If he’s talking to a civil engineer, the civil engineer’s — there’s a lot of stuff happening, so it takes time,” Trustee Greg Cizmar said. “He’s gonna tear it down, (and) the civil engineer, I guess, is looking at how to develop it now.”

Stoyak said it’s been six months since he last spoke to trustees about it, but Cizmar said the gas station has been around for at least 30 years.

“You were here, so I mean; every month you come and say the same thing — we’re working on it,” Cizmar said.

Stoyak questioned when the saga is supposed to end, however, noting that the owner said he was going to get demolition calls six months ago, but is now roping in a civil engineer.

“Do we go another year, and then he says, ‘I really don’t know yet?” Stoyak said.

Ritchie said she feels comfortable that the owner is taking action, adding that the property looks “amazing” compared to the ones she’s cited in past weeks.

“There’s actually, if you go down Shannon Road — literally two properties past that, you can’t even see the house because of the debris and the junk and the trash and the trees and the grass that’s never ever been run up,” Ritchie said. “To me, if the gentleman’s saying he’s going to have a civil engineer — I mean that’s — I can’t say yes or no, you can’t do it, you can’t have that. It takes time.”

Ritchie recalled a call from a woman with a shipping container on her property that has been there for seven years, which made her excited.

“I worked with her (the woman) and to me, it was a goal; that looked more terrible on Norwood Drive to have a giant shipping container in her driveway that she couldn’t afford to get rid of,” Ritchie said. “Versus an empty parking lot with this building that may have a different color front than the other side, or something like that.”

Ritchie said the shipping container should be gone within the next five to six weeks, as she was able to work with a hauling company, who are bringing the woman a dumpster to help clean it out and giving her a deal to remove the container.

“If it was crumbling or falling down, which we do have a couple of buildings on Belmont (Avenue) that I’m working with that are doing that,” Ritchie said. “Then I would be more apt to go harder; but if he’s saying he’s going to send in the engineer — I have to follow what he wants to do.”