By Patric Flannigan
Staff Writer
Camden Code Enforcer Ben Wooten offered an update on the clean up of the fallen awning at Cato Fashions and Shoe Show.
Early Monday morning, the awning connecting the two businesses collapsed. Wooten said it likely fell due to the wind and rain and that there didn’t appear to be any major structural damage to the building itself. Cato Fashions and Shoe Show were both back open for business by Thursday, May 20.
On Wednesday, Wooten said he had spoke to the building owner about the awning but was planning to reach out to him again concerning the condition of the parking lot.
Wooten said he was able to make contact with the owner and not only was he going to fix the awning, but he will also fix the pot holes in the parking lot when the it is dry enough to do so.
Wooten went on to emphasize that the shopping center is private property, meaning the City of Camden is not responsible for the building or the parking lot’s upkeep and that it would be the owner’s responsibility to make the repairs. Wooten gave the example of a tree falling during a storm; if a tree falls on city property, then the city can remove it , but if that tree falls on someone’s house, no matter how much the city may want to help, it would be up to the owner to find the means to get the tree removed.
“The only reason we were even able to do what we were able to do is because it was a matter of safety,” Wooten stated. “Just because something falls in the city, doesn’t always mean we can fix it up. That’s private property so we can’t do the upkeep of the building for them. It would be up to the owner.”
Camden Mayor Julian Lott stressed the importance of knowing what the City of Camden can and can’t do in these types of situations. He said that when the city is blamed for something on social media that it legally can’t get involved in, it can make the city look bad and steer off potential business and residents.
“You don’t have to come to Camden to find out about Camden,” Lott said. “That’s why its important that we are dialing the right numbers and holding the right people accountable for things like this. There’s a reason we aren’t fixing everyone’s parking lots and buildings. It would be a misuse of city funds. It would be a misuse of your money and it would be illegal. We just have to be mindful of what we are putting out on the internet. There could be business looking to come here and because of the pandemic keeping them from traveling, they have to research and pull their information from online. The City of Camden has been fair and equitable to its residents and businesses. There are a lot of people that put in a lot of hard work for the city. They care about the people here and it is unfair for them to be blamed for something they aren’t responsible for. When we aren’t doing what we should, then please let us know. But we have been fixing the things that we legally can and are doing our very best to hold people accountable for doing their part to make sure our city is the best it can be.”
The property is owned by Samson Pinter, who Wooten said resides in New York. Wooten stated that he was able to speak to Pinter after a few attempts to contact him and he sounded like the he would address the issue with urgency.
“I made a couple of attempts to reach out to the owner,” Wooten said prior to speaking to him again on Thursday. “I was able to speak to him about what was going on. Sometimes you can talk to people and tell if they are just talking and not planning to do anything but I didn’t pick that up from him at all. He sounds like he is going to get some work done pretty soon.”