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Source: Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, Mass.mini storageSept. 08--EAST FALMOUTH -- In the middle of summer, a short, white picket fence is all that separated a clean cut lawn and trimmed bushes from the gnarled grass, blowing in the wind of the lawn next door.A small gap between the fence and the street revealed in close contrast the line where the owner mowed his lawn and stopped just short of the foreclosed property next door.Austin Heath, who lives in the same cul-de-sac at the end of Paddock Circle in East Falmouth, said that the property, which is in foreclosure, hurts the value of his own home nearby, which he works hard to maintain."You're paying for someone else's house. You shouldn't do that," Heath said.Heath sent letters to state senators, state representatives and town officials, protesting how the property is not only an eyesore but also dangerous -- at that point, there was no fence around the backyard pool. The letters called for ordinances that would allow town code enforcement officials to step in -- without those, they have no legal grounds to force properties to maintain their upkeep beyond basic sanitary standards.Falmouth does not have any such ordinance at this time, but town officials said they are working on possibly putting together something soon on the issue."People call them all the time about it," said Ollie Fitzpatrick, assistant zoning officer for the Town of Falmouth. "I know more and more people are getting upset about it, but I don't know what the solution is."Heath said that he isn't asking for much -- just for owners to cut the grass, pull some weeds and keep the bushes somewhat trimmed. He said his other neighbors have come to him complaining about the state of the house on the cul-de-sac, which sticks out in the gated community, which Heath described as an upper-middle class neighborhood.Part of the problem with neglected, foreclosed properties is that it can be near impossible to track down who actually owns them, said Paul Spiro, Sandwich's building inspector. After that, even if the inspectors can find the owners, there is often nothing they can do. "My name is Paul, not King Paul," Spiro said, referring to the amount of control he has over the issue.However, Spiro doesn't think that adding ordinances requiring homeowners to maintain their properties is the answerself storage He said it would be almost impossible to enforce because it is so subjective. Some owners cut their grass a couple times a week, he said, and others complain because their neighbor cuts their grass too much and are annoyed by the noise. It would be difficult to create a set of guidelines that would please everyone."It's hard to come up with a solution because the solution comes from being a good neighbor," Spiro said. "The solution isn't going to be another regulation, the solution is going to come from the banks or the foreclosure companies or mortgage companies becoming a good neighbor."Bank of New York Mellon Corp., the bank that owns the property in Heath's neighborhood, according to Registry of Deed records, could not be reached for comment about the property.Of the 15 towns on the Cape, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard that responded to calls, 11 said that they did not have official ordinances regarding property upkeep, but five were looking into such measures upon community request. Bourne is instituting a pilot program within the next month in the downtown area of Buzzards Bay, which includes mostly commercial properties, but also has some residences."After it was passed, people asked why we didn't do for the whole," Town Planner Coreen Moore said.Barnstable's Town Council recently approved a ordinance that would prevent trash, debris and pools of water from accumulating on properties. There is another ordinance under consideration by the Town Council that specifically addresses foreclosures. The ordinance, if passed, would require owners to keep the property in repair and register vacant property with the town, so there is a record of possible problem properties in the town. The ordinanceIn the meantime, in East Falmouth, Heath said someone has come to mow the lawn around the offending property and put up a fence around the pool, which makes it safer for the children in his neighborhood. However, Heath added that he wish it hadn't taken so long for the property to get fixed by the bank."It shouldn't be neglected for a year before they do anything," said Heath. "It's still kind of an eyesore, but it's better."Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Cape Cod Times (Hyannis, Mass.) Visit the Cape Cod Times (Hyannis, Mass.) at .capecodonline.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉