For those of you who may have missed it, both Channel 5 and Channel 9 covered SUN’s hot meeting on vacant houses on their 11 P.M. newscasts. Link on to their stories on the internet (channel 9 even has the newscast video):
Neighbors Demand Mass-Demolitions
Channel 5 WTVH 4/28/08
Louise Thompson, a member of SUN’s Southside Coalition, led off a
parade of neighborhood residents telling city
officials their stories, mostly horror stories, about living around
vacant houses. For over a half hour, resident after
resident spoke about the problems their families confront in the face
of vacant and abandoned buildings.
On Louise’s short block, almost half of the houses have become
vacant. Across our neighborhoods gangs stash
drugs in the overgrowth and under the siding of the houses. Trash
and debris is mysteriously dumped late at night.
Loiterers blast loud music, fight, cause property damage and urinate
on adjoining houses. Homeowners find it hard
to get insurance and see their home’s value decline.
The meeting last night focused attention on the worst of the houses,
the vacants that are beyond saving and need to
be demolished. SUN will host a second meeting on May 29th at 7 PM at
Most Holy Rosary church to discuss how the
city can encourage both non-profits and private investors to
rehabilitate vacant houses and increase owner-occupancy
in our neighborhoods.
Over 70 SUN members from the south, southwest and near-west sides of
the city packed the basement hall at St. Anthony’s Church to discuss the ever increasing number of vacant houses in our neighborhoods.
SUN’s Housing Leadership Team (l-r) Sabrina Rautio, Brenda Williams,
Olga Podolak, Ann Reynolds and Carolyn Stanley chaired the meeting.
The night’s topic focused on how the city can improve its record on taking
down dangerous houses in SUN’s neighborhoods. Attending the meeting
for the city were Director of Operations Tim Carroll, the city’s top lawyer
Rory McMahon and director of Code Enforcement Jim Blakeman.
SUN won three major concessions from the city. SUN will be included
in quarterly meetings with the city to determine the vacant houses taken to state Supreme Court for potential demolition. The nine vacant houses on the 200 block of Fitch Street will receive priority attention for demolition and inclusion in the new investor rehab program. The city agreed to participate in a meeting with SUN and state officials to discuss training city staff to certify historic properties.
