Brookfield officials began the cleanup of the Phillips property in Masury on Nov. 27 with the removal of a car and a boat.
Property co-owner Tommie Phillips also removed a car on his own, said township Code Enforcement Officer Peter Ross.
The ground was too wet to tow away anything else, Ross said.
“It was just too darn muddy to get up that hill,” he said. “We’ll have to reschedule; first dry day or frozen day.”
The property at 8085 Warren Sharon Road is owned by Phillips and his wife, Kathy Norris Phillips, and has been the subject of a lengthy legal battle because of junk vehicles.
The township sued the Pillipses, and the two sides reached an agreement that the Phillipses would remove the vehicles by Nov. 1, or the township would have the authority to do it.
Ross said he surveyed the property, concluded the Phillipses had not kept up their part of the deal, and informed them by letter of the date and time that the cleanup would begin: 11 a.m. Nov. 27.
The Phillipses were present as 82 Auto Wrecking, Brookfield, removed the car and boat.
The township is paying for the work up front, but will bill the Phillipses for reimbursement. If the Phillipses don’t pay, the township can place a lien on the property and the removal costs will be assessed as an “other tax” on their property tax bills, according to the agreement.
This is how the Phillips property looked just before the arrival of township officials on Nov. 27.
Tommie and Kathy Norris Phillips, left, are shown with Brookfield Township Code Enforcement Officer Peter Ross, right.
An employee of Schultz Towing and Recovery loads a car for removal from the Phillips property.
Tommie Phillips, left, watches as an employee of Schultz Towing and Recovery tries to position a boat trailer for loading on a wrecker.
