Around 15 residents from the Hemlock Hills neighborhood in Russell Township came to the trustees meeting June 5 to express their concerns about the collapsed home at 8460 Ridgewood Lane.
Around 15 residents from the Hemlock Hills neighborhood in Russell Township came to the trustees meeting June 5 to express their concerns about the collapsed home at 8460 Ridgewood Lane.
The home, owned by Victor Vilimas, according to the Geauga County Auditor’s Office, was left in the care of Paul Mileris, of Ohama, Neb., after Vilimas died in 2019.
Since then, the house has been in disrepair and collapsed earlier this year, trustees said.
Russell Township Fire Chief John Frazier said the property has been declared “insecure, unsafe and structurally defective,” according to the Ohio Revised Code.
Trustee Kristina Port said she has spoken to attorney Michael Drain, who is attempting to gain executorship of the property through the Geauga County Court of Common Pleas. Drain will know the status of his executorship at the end of the month, Port said, adding if he is made executor, trustees can proceed with the demolition process of the home.
“(We can’t do anything) until we have something from who’s taking care of the estate and having the relatives on board and … our contact person established,” Port said.
The residence is a hazard, said Hemlock Hills Homeowner Association President Ben Kotowski.
“We’re concerned about what the township has not done to take care of a problem which affects the home values of our homes,” he said. “It affects the safety of our children and it does, in fact, present a hazard to our fire department and our police department.”
The owner of the home across the street from the house said she has seen vagrants, feral cats, dead deer and large rats on the property.
“Can you make a motion right now saying, ‘We move to proceed with utmost speed, working with the (Americans with Disabilities Act officials) to rid the township of this nuisance?’ Something simple like that? And then you’ve got something to work from,” Russell resident Charlie Butters asked trustees.
Trustees decided it would be best to hold off on taking any action until they can write up a motion correctly.
Trustee Jim Mueller said he has been trying to make more progress, but the other two trustees have been holding him back.
“Is it unacceptable to wait for executors to be established by the end of the month and … proceed on this?” Trustee Chris Hare asked.
Regardless of what trustees decide to do, there will still be a process to complete before the house can be demolished, including requesting the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to do a hazmat investigation, which would be at the township’s expense, Township Administrator Melissa Palmer said.
This could impact the trustees’ seats next election, Eric Gerard, former president of the Hemlock Hills Homeowners Association said.
“You’re looking at what is probably the largest voting block in Russell Township, in Hemlock Hills,” he said. “It would be reflected upon this board’s actions in the next election, on the lack of action taken to this.
“It’s very clear, after five years and all these months and recent months of trying to get the board to do something, there’s no intention by the board making any steps,” he continued. “You have no idea what to do, you have no documentation about what you need to do even move forward with this.”
Hare issued a followup statement June 9.
“At this time and before proceeding at taxpayer expense, I do not want to deter a family’s responsibility to their private property as they go through probate,” the statement said. “The board and I are obligated to follow the procedures and timeline established by the Ohio Revised Code. These are the factors deciding my next steps.”
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