[ back ]
Uninhabited houses seen as magnet for trouble
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - August 25, 2010)
Uninhabited houses seen as magnet for trouble
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
On Aug. 17, Geauga County sheriff's deputies responded to a complaint of trespassers at a house on Mulberry Road in Munson Township.
It was a call that deputies are familiar with when houses are uninhabited for a period of time.
"The kids all know where they're at," said Joni Stusek, program administrator for the Geauga County Community and Economic Development office.
The house at 10721 Mulberry Road is one of four that Munson Township officials are working to have torn down, some with the help of county funds.
The call came from a neighbor who heard car doors and voices between 2:30 and 4 a.m. The neighbor told deputies that it was not the first time he has heard trespassers, although he did not report them previously.
Mrs. Stusek manages a community development block grant program of approximately $50,000 which will be used for the demolition of abandoned homes.
The program has received some criticism over the use of taxpayer funds to benefit owners of the properties, some of whom may be able to pay the expense of demolition of their own former homes. "The bottom line is our County Commissioners are using taxpayer money to raze privately owned property, and they won't even put a lien on the property to recover funds," Chester resident Judy Zamlen-Spotts said.
But Mrs. Stusek said the program does not look at how individuals may benefit. The objective is the benefit that an entire community may receive through the program, she said. "Our focus is for the greater good."
The program receives funding through the Ohio Department of Development. It's funding which the state may take back if the county fails to use it, Anita Stocker, director of Geauga County Community and Economic Development, wrote in a letter to Mrs. Zamlen-Spotts.
"The easiest method (rather than sending the funds to Columbus) to reduce the program income fund balance is to reallocate those funds to activities that are in the highest demand," she wrote. "Right now, that is septic system replacement and demolition of blighted properties."
This Tuesday, Munson Zoning Inspector Tim Kearns was to seek authority from Township Trustees to move forward with three home demolitions, two of which may qualify for the county program.
Mr. Kearns said a house at 10320 Butternut Road will not likely be eligible for the program, because the owner, Beverly Davis, has not responded to calls. Two other houses, one at 12831 Bass Lake Road owned by Joseph Arcadi and the Mulberry Road home, owned by Larry Reiter, have been listed as eligible for the program, although neither has been confirmed for the funding.
Property owners did not return calls for comment.
Mrs. Stusek said the program is made available only to those who agree to it. It is not forced on anyone, she said.
She said the program being used in Munson Township is unlike a similar county-run demolition program in which income levels determine eligibility. She said the income-dependent program also drew criticism when it was used for the demolition of a former tavern in Newbury Township. The tavern was gutted by fire two years earlier, she said, and the owner had no insurance to recover losses.
Leaving the abandoned houses detracts from other neighborhood properties and invites mischief for kids looking for hideouts, Mrs. Stusek said.
Mr. Kearns said another property targeted for removal is at 13417 Rockhaven Road, owned by Kristopher Klingman. The property has been the subject of discussion because of the teens drawn to the building. Police have been called numerous times by neighbors to the house, where gang-related symbols mark the interior and exterior walls.
Mr. Kearns said officials wanted to move quickly on the matter because of the dilapidated condition of the house and the fear that trespassers could be injured by falling through deteriorating floor boards. Although the property is eligible for the program, he said, there are issues with asbestos that are driving up the cost.
Mrs. Stusek said most of the houses being considered are in similar shape, and that could possibly leave the county liable. "We could get that call, 'You knew about it, and my kid got hurt,'" she said. Removing the houses takes away that temptation for kids, she said.
The Mulberry Road property presents an even greater problem, because it sits on a ravine over the Chagrin River, she said. Waiting until the building slides into the river does not make sense, she said. "Why take it to that point?" she asked. "In the meantime, it's polluting the water. How much sense does that make?"
The problem has become more serious because of the economy with homeowners facing foreclosures, Mrs. Stusek said. "Every community is hurting right now."
Mr. Kearns said Ohio law provides for the township's authority in acting on properties declared to be "insecure, unsafe, structurally defective and unfit for human habitation."
And while the law also provides for the township to recover its demolition costs, Mr. Kearns said, the county program allows for a smoother process and quicker resolution.
Mrs. Stusek said there is an upside to the program. When those properties are demolished, she said, the county will get a better return on taxes on the improved properties.
[ back ]
