City Agrees To Demolish Home On East Main
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
According to Jack Rife, the residence at 614 E. Main St. needs to be torn down.
The ceilings are caving in, animals are loose inside the property, and the front door has warped to the point where it can not be locked.
Rife, who hasn't lived at the house for nearly 1-1/2 years, sent a letter to Warsaw Building Commissioner Todd Slabaugh requesting the house be demolished.
Slabaugh and Hearing Officer Larry Clifford discussed the matter during a Monday code enforcement hearing.
Clifford agreed the building should be eventually torn down, but expressed concerns regarding Rife's plan to wait until June before demolishing the property. Rife's personal belongings are currently being salvaged out of the building, including two boats in the yard.
"My concern is that someone could break in there and cause who-knows-what kind of problems," Clifford said. "And if it's going to be torn down in six months, it needs to be animal proof."
After deliberation, Rife agreed to a demolition date of May 1, and now has the responsibility of boarding up the house to secure it from animals and trespassers. Rife has until Dec. 30 to comply, and if he fails to do so, the demolition will take place immediately with his belongings still inside.
"That secures that it doesn't just sit there," Clifford said. "As it sits there now, (the property) is worthless."
Slabaugh recommended Rife acquire different quotes from demolition crews to lower the cost of the operation, which the city has estimated at $6,500.
Also reviewed during the meeting was a matter involving a residence at 430 S. Harding St. Slabaugh said the premises has been vacant for an estimated six months and needs to be properly sealed to prevent animal infestation.
The previous resident, Jay Graves, could not be contacted by the building commission. The owner, Beneficial Mortgage, didn't respond to city notification.
A majority of the animals inside the property are cats, Slabaugh said.
"There was some colonizing going on inside, for lack of a better phrase," Slabaugh said. "Structurally, it's fixable, but the whole house is a litter box."
The house is currently foreclosed on, and Clifford assigned a $1,000 civil penalty for woeful negligence. The city will now seal the property.
"Clearly Mr. Graves isn't going to seal it for you," Clifford said. "And it will take the company six months to realize they own it."
Clifford recommended Slabaugh attempt to contact Beneficial Mortgage to inform the company of the decision.
Two other matters addressed on the meeting's agenda were not discussed in detail. A matter involving Sheradon Enterprises, 202 S. Union St., was tabled due to the business being currently closed down. If the company opens again next year, the matter will open back up to the code authority.
An outdoor storage issue with Michael Osborn's property, 2002 North Bay Drive, was cleared up before Monday's meeting, Slabaugh said. [[In-content Ad]]
According to Jack Rife, the residence at 614 E. Main St. needs to be torn down.
The ceilings are caving in, animals are loose inside the property, and the front door has warped to the point where it can not be locked.
Rife, who hasn't lived at the house for nearly 1-1/2 years, sent a letter to Warsaw Building Commissioner Todd Slabaugh requesting the house be demolished.
Slabaugh and Hearing Officer Larry Clifford discussed the matter during a Monday code enforcement hearing.
Clifford agreed the building should be eventually torn down, but expressed concerns regarding Rife's plan to wait until June before demolishing the property. Rife's personal belongings are currently being salvaged out of the building, including two boats in the yard.
"My concern is that someone could break in there and cause who-knows-what kind of problems," Clifford said. "And if it's going to be torn down in six months, it needs to be animal proof."
After deliberation, Rife agreed to a demolition date of May 1, and now has the responsibility of boarding up the house to secure it from animals and trespassers. Rife has until Dec. 30 to comply, and if he fails to do so, the demolition will take place immediately with his belongings still inside.
"That secures that it doesn't just sit there," Clifford said. "As it sits there now, (the property) is worthless."
Slabaugh recommended Rife acquire different quotes from demolition crews to lower the cost of the operation, which the city has estimated at $6,500.
Also reviewed during the meeting was a matter involving a residence at 430 S. Harding St. Slabaugh said the premises has been vacant for an estimated six months and needs to be properly sealed to prevent animal infestation.
The previous resident, Jay Graves, could not be contacted by the building commission. The owner, Beneficial Mortgage, didn't respond to city notification.
A majority of the animals inside the property are cats, Slabaugh said.
"There was some colonizing going on inside, for lack of a better phrase," Slabaugh said. "Structurally, it's fixable, but the whole house is a litter box."
The house is currently foreclosed on, and Clifford assigned a $1,000 civil penalty for woeful negligence. The city will now seal the property.
"Clearly Mr. Graves isn't going to seal it for you," Clifford said. "And it will take the company six months to realize they own it."
Clifford recommended Slabaugh attempt to contact Beneficial Mortgage to inform the company of the decision.
Two other matters addressed on the meeting's agenda were not discussed in detail. A matter involving Sheradon Enterprises, 202 S. Union St., was tabled due to the business being currently closed down. If the company opens again next year, the matter will open back up to the code authority.
An outdoor storage issue with Michael Osborn's property, 2002 North Bay Drive, was cleared up before Monday's meeting, Slabaugh said. [[In-content Ad]]