Oronogo Board agrees to 6-month building permit for mobile home that was damaged by fire in June

Amy Daniels’ plea to not lose her house was granted with conditions Monday by the Oronogo Board of Aldermen.

Her mobile home, at 368 Nevada St., was damaged by fire in June. Now as she is receiving her insurance claim check, she learned about the city’s ordinance not allowing a mobile home to be inhabited again if it is destroyed or uninhabitable for six months.

Making the request for a building permit for Daniels was contractor Jason Mayberry. Ralph Shead attended the meeting to demonstrate support for Daniels from her church.

“Literally, this decision tonight could turn this lady’s life upside down,” said Mayberry.

Daniels said she has been cleaning up the house in advance of Mayberry making repairs. It’s difficult, she says because she can’t get the electricty turned on. She said she’s sleeping on a friend’s reclining chair in the meantime, going to the house daily to feed her four dogs.

The council approved a motion to let Daniels begin immediately to repair the damage and have six months from Nov. 21 to complete the job.

Mayor Charles Wilkins received assurance from Mayberry that he will work continuously without delays.

Conditions for the building permit are that 25 percent of the insurance claim money is placed in escrow with the city to ensure completion and that the building inspector prepares an initial report.

Darrell Orender (2nd Ward) also asked Shead and his church community to help Daniels clean up the exterior of Daniels’ property.

In other action, the council:

• Voted to upgrade the city’s gWorks subscription in order to store all files on the cloud for more functionality and security. The annual fee is $28,000, with a one-time training fee waived.

• Approved updates on the major sewer improvement project. Tony Cantrell, public works superintendent, reported that both new lift stations are operating reliably. The next steps will be removal of the old lift stations and installation of fencing.