By Associated Press - Tuesday, January 21, 2020

BOULDER CITY, Nev. (AP) - A Nevada man has moved out of an abandoned mine shaft where he lived for seven years before city officials gave him 30 days to vacate.

Richard Roman told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he understood why Boulder City officials told him he had to leave the mine that he furnished with salvaged carpeting, solar panels for electricity and a fan that helped maintain a steady 85 degrees (29 degrees Celsius) temperature, even on hot summer days.

City officials said Roman, 68, was violating four city codes and two state laws, and the dwelling raised health and safety concerns.

City spokeswoman Lisa LaPlante said officials planned to seal the mine entrance, perhaps by the end of the month.

As of Friday, Roman was staying with a friend. He told the Review-Journal he planned to travel before settling into a rental unit in Las Vegas in March.

Boulder City City Manager Al Noyola formed a task force last year to address a small but growing homeless population in the city of about 16,000 residents 26 miles (42 kilometers) southeast of Las Vegas.

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