MARION — The Board of Health voted to give an extension for the condemned house at 464 Front Street after Public Health Agent Dave Flaherty said there’s been “a great advance” in conditions. 

At a Dec. 1 meeting, Flaherty said he spoke with a contractor while visiting the property, which is owned by Lauren Fisher and is known to be the site of years of animal abuse. He noticed that conditions had vastly improved in the front yard. 

Though Flaherty did not go inside, he said he suspected conditions have improved there too, after seeing that work was being done. 

“It seems like we need to go inside to have an inspection and see what’s going on,” Clerk Dot Brown said. 

She said that the last time conditions seemed to be improving, “nobody looked at it again,” and the house devolved into its condemned state. 

Board Chair Ed Hoffer said that multiple inspections would need to be done at the house. But as long as a “good faith effort” was put forward, he said a short extension was in order. 

The previous deadline for improved conditions was December, but the board settled on a 30-day extension.