Sheriff’s Department Oversees Dismantling of House Considered Blight to Sugarloaf Neighborhood

The Big Bear Sheriff’s Station, under the direction of Captain Greg Garland, has been working to clean up the Big Bear Valley, in part by addressing code enforcement violations and conducting code sweeps over a six-month period this year. Code sweeps, in conjunction with the San Bernardino County Code Enforcement Division, have resulted in cleaner neighborhoods and, all told, the towing of 188 vehicles, boats and trailers in violation of County and vehicle codes. Earlier this year, the Big Bear Sheriff’s Station also oversaw the removal of a structure on south Pine Avenue in Sugarloaf that was leaning over and a blight to the neighborhood; this spring cleaning project was aided by fire department personnel and County inmates, who cleaned up the property once the structure had been bulldozed. As of today, December 3, another one of 13 structures noticed by Code Enforcement is being dismantled, this one at 494 Los Angeles at Barton in Sugarloaf. As Captain Greg Garland tells KBHR, “We are tearing it down today. We wanted to do something to better the community, and this is our second stab at it.” The building has been vacant since the big earthquake of 1992 and, in addition to having been vandalized, is in violation of numerous County and fire codes. Garland notes that the owners could not afford to clean up the location so, the Captain adds, “We’ll have it cleaned and, by next week, we will have a nice clean lot.”