- WEBSTER, Massachussets: The health board in a Massachusetts town has approved a plan to shame owners of rundown buildings into fixing and securing their properties.
The plan approved Monday by the Webster board allows the town to place 4-by-8-foot signs on the sides of dilapidated buildings with the owner's names, address and telephone number. Selectman Mark Dowgiewicz says it costs up to $9,000 per year for police responses and other expenses to deal with squatters, vandals and other problems.
Building Inspector Theodore Tetreault tells The Telegram & Gazette of Worcester that building owners have ignored requests from the town to secure vacant properties. Webster is a town of about 16,000 nearly 60 miles southwest of Boston.