SPANISH FORT, Ala.—A Wayside Drive resident has been granted at least three more weeks to clear his property of junk cars and other discarded materials before the City Council considers taking further action.

"There’s no joy in us being at this point," Mayor Joe Bonner told William Stanford, whose property was declared in violation of the city’s nuisance ordinance in late April.

Since that time, however, Stanford has enlisted the aid of a new lawyer to help him negotiate the matter and has made what Building Official Bruce Renkert called "considerable progress" toward resolving the issue.

As of May 16, Renkert said, Stanford had managed to clear nine of the 15 unlicensed vehicles cluttering the property.

"(Stanford’s) made a substantial gain in the condition that exists on the property," Renkert said.

Stanford’s attorney petitioned the council, however, to allow a "reasonable" amount of time for Stanford to complete the junk removal. He cited Stanford’s poor health, the difficulty of arranging for assistance and the hardship transporting the vehicles in question to Mississippi has created.

Both District 5 Councilwoman Mary Brabner and District 1 Councilman Dennis Dismuke expressed concern that granting a lengthy extension such as the 90 days requested would extinguish the momentum Stanford’s managed to muster in the past few weeks.

"He’s come this far. Just stay with it," Dismuke said.

In light of the progress to date, the council agreed to take no action on a pending resolution ordering abatement of the nuisance until at least June 6, giving Stanford three weeks to continue his efforts.

Bonner said the council does not want to appear unsympathetic to Stanford’s hardships, but the matter has been addressed intermittently for more than five years and must be addressed as quickly as possible.