Newbury Township’s crackdown on abandoned, nuisance and dangerous properties has expanded to another vacant house at 15745 Auburn Road, trustees said Aug. 21.
Newbury Township’s crackdown on abandoned, nuisance and dangerous properties has expanded to another vacant house at 15745 Auburn Road, trustees said Aug. 21.
Trustee Glen Quigley said the property has been empty for some time and has several junk vehicles parked in the overgrown yard.
“The owner is listed as Douglas Kilroy and is in a trust,” Quigley said.
According to county records, the 2,580-square-foot house was built in 1957 and sits on 2.5 acres. It is listed in “poor” condition, with a current market value of $82,300.
Quigley said the township zoning inspector sent a letter to Kilroy asking him to clean up the property.
During a discussion at the Aug. 21 trustees meeting about the growing list of nuisance properties in the township, Quigley said Paula Jones, owner of a property at 9988 Bell Road, has been summoned by the Geauga County Common Pleas Court to face contempt of court charges for failing to clean up her property, also loaded with junk vehicles.
“It’s already been to court and the court has already decided the matter,” Quigley said. “Hopefully people will take responsibility for their properties, for the good of the community.”
In addition, Trustee Greg Tropf reported he received estimates of $7,500 each to demolish two derelict houses on Portlew Road. The houses were condemned in February by the Geauga County Building Department and deemed unsecure and unsafe. Trustees notified the owners, both of whom are new. One of the properties was recently purchased for $100 and the other for $20,000, according to Quigley. One of the owners is reportedly demolishing his house little by little, by hand.
Tropf said the demolition estimates did not include removing any asbestos or hazardous materials that might be found, or removing the septic tanks.
“But they would make them look like they were never there,” Tropf said of the two houses.
“We should notify the owners of our intent and follow procedures,” Quigley added. “And we need to have a discussion of the township borrowing money to pay for the demolitions and whether the Ohio Revised Code allows us to borrow.”
Quigley recommended notifying both property owners by certified mail the houses will be demolished by Sept. 18. Costs for the demolitions will be placed as liens on their tax duplicates.
Trustee Bill Skomrock moved to proceed with the letters and demolition plans. The motion passed unanimously.
Tropf questioned the ongoing delays in cleaning up the Roberta Ann property at 14982 Munn Road, which has been in process for about a year.
“I drove by there today and one of the buildings is still there and the machines are all gone,” Tropf said, referring to the excavation equipment being used to clean up the property and demolish two outbuildings. “I wonder why they have apparently stopped.”
Quigley said he had been told by the excavating company Ann had asked them during the clean-up process to stop work twice — once because she was having company and again, when her cat was loose in the yard.
“There have been more court orders, all at additional expense and now law enforcement has to be there. It just gets worse and worse,” Quigley said, adding he will contact the receiver again to find out the latest cause of the delay.
Clean-up of the Munn Road property could cost as much as $100,000, with the township bearing most of the cost, according to trustees.
The cost will be added as a tax lien and the property is likely to be foreclosed upon, trustees said.
