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City gives property owners more time to improve sites
By Amanda Haverstick, The News-Dispatch
The Michigan City Board of Public Works and Safety on Monday gave the owners of three rundown properties more time to get their buildings in shape.
A house at 910 Green St. owned by James Gast received a reprieve from the wrecking ball. The board on Monday decided to hold off awarding a demolition contract for two weeks so the owners could provide contracts on all work items addressed in the Inspection Department's demolition order and post a bond for demolition costs.
“We have been in contact with some contractors,” said Gast's wife, Doris. “We're trying to get bids to have the roof fixed, the siding done ... we've been working on the inside of the house.”
Gast said the house is structurally sound, and he doesn't want it torn down.
“Why do you want to tear down our house?” Gast asked. “It doesn't look bad on the outside and on the inside we're working on it.”
Mayor Chuck Oberlie said the city has been dealing with the property for about a year.
“This is a file that's almost a year old. We've had communications going back into last year,” Oberlie said. “We have already condemned the building.”
Board attorney John Espar told Gast the board does not want to tear her house down.
“The board has been asking you for over a year to repair your house so that the board doesn't have to tear your house down,” Espar said. “It's a vacant structure, it's unsafe, it becomes an attraction to varmints, for criminals, it's an attractive nuisance to children in the community.”
Also Monday, the board gave Alexandra Jackson 60 days to repair a house at 1202 Washington St.
Attorney Barry McDonnell, representing Jackson, said the property had been deteriorating before this owner purchased it.
“Obviously, the current condition of the property began long before my client owned the property,” McDonnell said. “It was purchased as part of a long, drawn-out sheriff's sale process.”
McDonnell said his client, who lives north of Chicago, has owned the property for a year and bought a number of other properties in Michigan City to rent or resell.
“She owns property across the street that's significantly nicer and more valuable,” McDonnell said. “She really has a vested interest in not having this thing look terrible.”
McDonnell said his client's intent is to renovate the property. The owner, he said, has secured the property and hired a contractor to begin work on the roof.
“She's begun interior demolition,” McDonnell said. “She's gutted out kitchens and baths, but the biggest problem is moisture.”
On a third property, the board gave Jim Spychalski 60 days to make substantial improvements at 508 W. 11th St. The property was pulled from the demolition list in 2005 after Spychalski agreed to buy and rehab the property.
In June 2005, Zoning Administrator Joe Siegel reported the condition of the vacant property was extremely hazardous, and rehabilitation was estimated at more than $65,000. Spychalski told the board in July 2005 he didn't want to see the house, which was built in the late 1800s, go to waste.
Code Inspector Tyler Tarpley told the board that aside from a deck on the back being removed and siding being stripped, there has not been any improvement in the appearance of the property
“The fact that we haven't seen any progress in the last 18 months brings me here to ask that we resume the demolition hearing or begin an order-to-repair process,” Tarpley said.
Spychalski said work has been done on the building.
“The siding for the building has been purchased. I think that shows my intent to continue with the repairs on the building,” he said. “I'm in the process of getting bids from the siding people to get the siding on the building. The building is structurally sound. I have not had any problems with anyone getting into the building.”
By Amanda Haverstick, The News-Dispatch
The Michigan City Board of Public Works and Safety on Monday gave the owners of three rundown properties more time to get their buildings in shape.
A house at 910 Green St. owned by James Gast received a reprieve from the wrecking ball. The board on Monday decided to hold off awarding a demolition contract for two weeks so the owners could provide contracts on all work items addressed in the Inspection Department's demolition order and post a bond for demolition costs.
“We have been in contact with some contractors,” said Gast's wife, Doris. “We're trying to get bids to have the roof fixed, the siding done ... we've been working on the inside of the house.”
Gast said the house is structurally sound, and he doesn't want it torn down.
“Why do you want to tear down our house?” Gast asked. “It doesn't look bad on the outside and on the inside we're working on it.”
Mayor Chuck Oberlie said the city has been dealing with the property for about a year.
“This is a file that's almost a year old. We've had communications going back into last year,” Oberlie said. “We have already condemned the building.”
Board attorney John Espar told Gast the board does not want to tear her house down.
“The board has been asking you for over a year to repair your house so that the board doesn't have to tear your house down,” Espar said. “It's a vacant structure, it's unsafe, it becomes an attraction to varmints, for criminals, it's an attractive nuisance to children in the community.”
Also Monday, the board gave Alexandra Jackson 60 days to repair a house at 1202 Washington St.
Attorney Barry McDonnell, representing Jackson, said the property had been deteriorating before this owner purchased it.
“Obviously, the current condition of the property began long before my client owned the property,” McDonnell said. “It was purchased as part of a long, drawn-out sheriff's sale process.”
McDonnell said his client, who lives north of Chicago, has owned the property for a year and bought a number of other properties in Michigan City to rent or resell.
“She owns property across the street that's significantly nicer and more valuable,” McDonnell said. “She really has a vested interest in not having this thing look terrible.”
McDonnell said his client's intent is to renovate the property. The owner, he said, has secured the property and hired a contractor to begin work on the roof.
“She's begun interior demolition,” McDonnell said. “She's gutted out kitchens and baths, but the biggest problem is moisture.”
On a third property, the board gave Jim Spychalski 60 days to make substantial improvements at 508 W. 11th St. The property was pulled from the demolition list in 2005 after Spychalski agreed to buy and rehab the property.
In June 2005, Zoning Administrator Joe Siegel reported the condition of the vacant property was extremely hazardous, and rehabilitation was estimated at more than $65,000. Spychalski told the board in July 2005 he didn't want to see the house, which was built in the late 1800s, go to waste.
Code Inspector Tyler Tarpley told the board that aside from a deck on the back being removed and siding being stripped, there has not been any improvement in the appearance of the property
“The fact that we haven't seen any progress in the last 18 months brings me here to ask that we resume the demolition hearing or begin an order-to-repair process,” Tarpley said.
Spychalski said work has been done on the building.
“The siding for the building has been purchased. I think that shows my intent to continue with the repairs on the building,” he said. “I'm in the process of getting bids from the siding people to get the siding on the building. The building is structurally sound. I have not had any problems with anyone getting into the building.”