Herbert Tackett says Ypsilanti Township is overreacting to his haunted house. The township says the house is a fire hazard.
David Wak | For AnnArbor.com
Ypsilanti Township resident Herbert Tackett has been offering what he considers a public service for 15 years - a free haunted house at his home on Devonshire Road in the eastern part of the township.
But Tackett's longtime Halloween tradition came under fire by township officials last year, who called the haunted house a safety hazard.
Township Fire Marshal Phil Stachlewitz allowed Tackett to keep the haunted house open last year - but warned him it was the last year he could run it because it didn't comply with township building or fire safety regulations.
Tackett isn't giving up that easily.
He's reopened the house this year - but says he downsized it by half and made sure it's as safe as possible with plenty of room and exits. He said he couldn't follow some of the township's requests - like having a sprinkler system installed - because it wouldn't be financially feasible. He said he loses money, but wants to provide the haunted house for neighborhood kids.
"I just want them to leave me alone," Tackett said of the township.
That's not likely to happen.
Township Police Services Director Mike Radzik said Tackett was issued two citations Thursday for erecting a structure without a building permit and for erecting a structure without the Zoning Board of Appeal's approval. The citations run $100 each.
Radzik also said if Tackett lets people into the haunted house, he'll face 13 more citations. Those will include several fire safety violations for not having marked exits, no fire extinguishers or alarms, no sprinkler systems, and running an amusement spot without proper fire safety prevention.Â
After last year, Radzik said the township tried to encourage Tackett to hold the haunted house at a more commercial spot where it would comply with proper fire codes.
The Tacketts say they plan to go ahead with the haunted house, despite the township's warning.
David Wak | For AnnArbor.com
If Tackett chooses to run the haunted house on Halloween, he may be out $1,500 from all the citations. Radzik said he hopes it won't come to that.
"The ball is in their court," Radzik said.
Tackett's wife Stacy said Thursday that they plan to go ahead with the haunted house.
"We'll pay the fines," she said.
Tackett said many of his neighbors can't afford to take their kids to commercial haunted houses, which can run between $12 to $15 per person. He said he gets 400 to 700 people through his haunted house each year, and many people in the community love it.
Tackett's haunted house, located on the north side of his property, is basically a series of rooms built out of portable carports he purchased and draped with white and black plastic. The rooms are full of plastic ghosts, monsters, and skeletons. When the house is operating, they're shrouded in dry ice fog and lit by strobe lights.
Tackett said he has a group of volunteers who dress up like spooks and surprise people going through the maze. He said other volunteers also watch over the kids.
Tackett said the township is overreacting.
"They're doing this out of spite," he said.
David Wak is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.
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