Children spotted walking atop city home
A collapsing home in a neighborhood not far from Columbia Primary School has neighbors and city officials concerned.
With school only weeks away, Ward 3 Alderwoman Anna Evans and nearby resident Brian McNail spoke about the residence at 933 West Ave. and its dangerous condition.
From the front, the foreclosed home, owned by an out-of-state bank, appears to be safe. However, a walk around the back shows the dangers of the vacant structure.
McNail and Evans discussed the issue as Building Inspector Lonnie Stringer presented his report on properties during Tuesday evening’s Columbia Board of Aldermen meeting.
Mayor Justin McKenzie said the property is in bad shape.
“The back is much worse,” he said. “The porch has fallen. We have a gentleman who lives near it and he has pictures of children playing on top of it. They have run up the roof of the porch that has fallen in. The bank that the tax rolls show that owns has been contacted and they deny that they own it. They have been paying the taxes and I feel they are responsible for it, but they don’t have anything on the property.”
Stringer said that according to the Marion County Appraisal Office, the bank in question does own the property.
“If you’re going to go look at it, you have to drive down on Westwood Court and turn around in the circle,” Evans said. “You can’t see it if you go by the driveway, you have to go up. It’s the whole side that is down.”
McNail, a parent himself, is worried for neighborhood children’s’ safety.
“With school starting in a couple of weeks, we are going to have more and more kids walking between Jefferson Middle School and West Avenue,” he said. “That is just a loaded gun laying there. Kids are already playing on it and when more and more find out about it, we’re going to have somebody get seriously injured on it. It doesn’t matter what bank owns it, that house has got to have some work done to it or be torn down.”
City Attorney Lawrence Hahn explained the city’s actions to the Board as it discussed holding a demolition hearing on the home.
“You send the notices where they are supposed to be sent; you do what the law allows what you can do,” he said.
Ward 4 Alderman Mike Smith said he felt the city needed to begin the process.
“We are definitely aware that this is an issue,” McKenzie told the Board. “We need to send them a notice of a hearing and they can do one of two things. They can fix it up or they can tear it down.”
Ward 2 Alderman Jason Stringer offered a motion to send a notice to the owners and Evans quickly seconded it. The Board voted unanimously to send a letter and begin the process.
Stinger and the Board also discussed the property at 801 Church St., which the Board voted to demolish last month. The current owner, Bernadine Irvin, said she had not been able to find a buyer for the home.
Stringer said that bids were in to tear down the property.
“We have the bids and they need to be opened tonight,” he said. “We have four bids.”
Hahn explained the Board’s options in regard to the bidding process.
“You cannot accept a bid and not tear it down,” he said. “If you don’t want to spend the money, then reject the bids.”
The four bids included one for $5,250 from Doyle Miller Excavating Services, which included $3,500 to tear the structure down and $1,750 for dumping. Bates and Sons bid $6,350, with the demolition costs set at $4,500, a dump fee of $1,750 and extra dirt, if needed, included. S & J Dozer Service bid $6,300 for the teardown and removal and One Choice Construction came in at $7,500 for demolition and dump fee in the sealed bids.
Evans was concerned about the cost.
“We need to give it another shot on bids,” she said.
After a motion by Ward 1 Alderman Wendell Hammond, seconded by Evans, the Board approved seeking another round of bids. The initial set of bids were reject and the Board reopened bidding and will decide on demolition at its Aug. 15 meeting.
Stringer also reported that one structure that had been on the city’s demolition list at 343 Old Foxworth Road had been torn down.
The Board also sent notices of hearings on properties at 816 East Ave., 904 Park Ave., 1120 Mobley Ave.,
900 Church St., 1216 Bell St., 321 Hawkins Ave., 921 Oak Avenue and 1711 N. Main St.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Columbia Board of Aldermen is set for 4 p.m. at City Hall.
Pictured Above: The home at 933 West Ave. appears to be collapsing. | Photo by Mark Rogers
