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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRe: condition of house Lyle Oman From: Smith, Ana [amsmith@ibsys.com] Sent: Monday, August 07, 2006 12:41 PM To: Willie Gibbs Cc: Barbara Peterson (bittybear@onvoymail.com); 'jmurphy@goldengate.net; Lili McMillan (lilim@mac.com); Bob Sansever (bobsansevere@yahoo.com); Jim White (jwhite@fineassociates.com); Lyle Oman; Josh Hobday (E-mail); 'tlgruca@wcco.cbs.com'; 'ecmurphy@wcco.cbs.com'; 'jpreger@wcco.cbs.com'; 'jeff.baillon@foxtv.com'; 'tom.lyden@foxtv.com'; 'jacqueline.mclean@foxtv.com'; 'trish.vanpilsum@foxtv.com' Subject: Olive Ave - Still waiting on an update IR RE Concerned Orono City tizen of Orono.:ode.doc(45 KB Willie, I am following up again in regards to the chain of emails that are below, as I still have not received any feedback. In addition to these emails, my fiancé has also left multiple voice messages with you. No one has returned any of our calls. As a result of your neglect, I am copying the other email addresses that are available on the Web site for the City of Orono. I am a citizen of Orono and I have the right to question why the condition of 2318 Olive Avenue is allowed. I have requested on numerous occasions that you explain to me how my neighbor's house is not violating the Orono City Code. I sent you a thorough list describing serious issues and you have done absolutely nothing to help. Instead you have ignored my emails and the countless messages left by my fiancé over the past year. This is completely unacceptable and I asking that someone please take a few minutes out of your day to address what I feel is a serious problem. The condition of this house affects the entire neighborhood. It is unacceptable for anyone to be allowed to maintain a home with missing siding, boarded up windows, rotten junk, furniture and other debris, as well as a wall on one side of the house that is deteriorating. I am not just complaining because it is an obvious eyesore. It is an environmental hazard. Not only is it an unsafe structure, but there is probably mold growing, which is a serious health hazard. People can become very sick from exposure to mold. If you had actually looked at this property like you said that you did, you would realize why I am saying that mold may be an issue. The back of the house, as well as one side of the house, is rotting away. On another side of the house, where the windows have been boarded up for the past few years, there is a hole in the house. I was not joking when I said that I have seen birds flying in and out of this house. I am asking you to please stop and think about all of the concerns at hand. I have taken time out of my day to address these issues and am simply asking for someone to tell me how this is not an issue. I hope that someone can take a step back and consider this from the perspective of not just a resident of Orono, but of a human being. If you lived next door or near a home that is falling apart and that has been taken over by rotted furniture and junk, you would be concerned yourself. No sane person can say they would not be concerned. At least once a week, my fiancé has removed construction debris, appliances, furniture etc. . from the property. We do this because, if we do not, no one else will enforce the Orono City Code, section 58-1 that states (please see attached) : "It is the duty of the owner of every vacant property and the owner and occupant of every occupied property to maintain the property in a neat, clean and presentable manner free of any junk, debris, refuse, litter, dead trees, or noxious weeds, and to remove all other public health or safety hazards from the property. " This residence also violates Sec. 58-3 (see attached) . We been have notifying the City of Orono of this for the past year. It has now reached the point that we will no longer tolerate this. We should never have to take action on our own (by removing all of the trash, debris, appliances and furniture) because the City 1 is not taking appropriate action per the city code. The original email that I sent to Lyle Ohman, the city inspector, is attached. I have included it since it is a detailed list of the condition of the house in my neighborhood. I would greatly appreciate it if someone from can follow up with me to explain what action can be taken, as there is no way that this would ever be tolerated in any other city in the Twin Cities metro. If you are telling me that no action can be taken, then why does the city code state that this can't be accepted? Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Ana Smith cell: 612.203.6343 Original Message From: Willie Gibbs [mailto:WGibbs@ci.orono.mn.us] Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 4:43 PM To: Smith, Ana Subject: RE: Olive Ave - Still waiting on an update. Ana Smith, The City of Orono does not enforce standards on existing houses. New construction must meet code as well as any additions or alterations. Some cities do have a housing authority and do look at such things as peeling paint, cracked sidewalks and etcetera. There are cities that also offer home improvement loans or even grants to low income residents to make the necessary improvements to their properties. It is unfortunate that Orono does not have either of these programs. I have brought up the idea of a designated housing and property compliance inspector at a staff meeting but was told that Orono doesn't have it in the budget. Sincerely, Willie Gibbs Original Message From: Smith, Ana [mailto:amsmith@ibsys.com] Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 11:38 AM To: Willie Gibbs Cc: Josh Hobday (E-mail) Subject: Olive Ave - Still waiting on an update. Importance: High Willie, I am following up in regards to the emails below. I have been contacting you since last week on Wednesday, as I still have further questions. Will you please let me know what the status is on this? In case you need me to refresh your memory, I still do not understand of why this is acceptable. We live next door to a house that appears to be un- livable, this should not be tolerated. I have provided you with several details. As a citizen of Orono, I feel that I deserve an explanation as to specifically how this house does not violate the Orono City Code. I don't understand why this situation, including the emails that I have sent you, are being ignored. Thanks. 2 > Original Message > From: Smith, Ana > Sent: Thursday, July 27, 2006 3:45 PM > To: 'WGibbs@ci.orono.mn.us' > Subject: RE: Olive ave > > Willie, > > I am following up in regards to the email below. Can you please > provide me with an update at your earliest convenience? I still do not > understand in what way the condition of my neighbor's house is acceptable. > > Thanks. > > Original Message > From: Smith, Ana > Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2006 7:59 AM > To: 'Willie Gibbs' > Cc: Josh Hobday (E-mail) > Subject: RE: Olive ave > > > Willie, > > Thank you for your response, however I strongly feel that the email > below contradicts what I have read in the Orono City Code. How are you > possibly telling me that it is acceptable to have a home with boarded up > windows, missing siding, a wall that is caving in and a wild crow > wandering around the property? The Orono city code specifically states: > > "Sec. 58-1. Maintenance of private property. > (a) It is the duty of the owner of every vacant property and the > owner and occupant of every occupied property to maintain the property in > a neat, clean and presentable manner free of any junk, debris, refuse, > litter, dead trees, or noxious weeds, and to remove all other public > health or safety hazards from the property. " > > Is missing siding considered presentable by the city of Orono?? Also, > the lawn is NOT kept and there are weeds growing along the perimeter > of the foundation that exceed 3-4 feet. Did anyone do more than drive by > the house?? We have spent hours cleaning and removing debris from this > house, as well as making phone calls and sending emails. . . I certainly > hope that more than a drive-by of the house has been done. If someone > walked the property you would see that this is a house that is > deteriorating. There is a wall caving in on the side of the house. There > is a small hole in another side of the house. . . birds fly in and out of > that hole. How is this allowed?? I understand that there may be > limitations as to what can and can't be done, but it is obvious to me that > the condition of this house is violating the Orono city code. I am failing > to understand how this situation is being ignored. > > Also, we have called the city on numerous occasions and were referred 3 > to Lyle Ohman. If he was the wrong person to contact, why were > we never advised of this? We wasted months of leaving messages with a > person who is not even handling this situation. Is it not standard > procedure to at least return a phone call?? > I am incredibly frustrated and it is mind boggling that a resident > is allowed to maintain their house in this matter. This not only effects > me, as the neighbor living next door, but it effects the entire > neighborhood, as well as the city. There must be something that can be > done when a house is deteriorating due to neglect. > Thanks for your time. > Original Message > From: Willie Gibbs [mailto:WGibbs@ci.orono.mn.us] > Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2006 4:37 PM > To: Smith, Ana > Subject: Olive ave > Dear Ana, I am in receipt of your email concerning 2318 Olive Ave. > I understand your frustration with the unkemptness of the property but you > must also understand that there are several issues I can not do anything > about. I inspected the property on Monday July 24, 2006. The condition > of the house, siding off and boarded up window, I can do nothing about. > The City of Orono requires a house to be sided when new, the city does not > at this time have a housing authority to deal with existing housing stock. > The fish house on the property is also allowed to remain. The yard was > mowed and trimmed at the time of inspection and the grounds picked up. If > this was your doing then the property owner should be very grateful to you > since I saw nothing to cite for violations. Lyle Oman, the City Building > Official also drove by the property on Monday and is in agreement with my > assessment of the property. If you have any further questions please feel > free to call or email. Sincerely, Willie Gibbs. 4